Amie Cunat's Sunflower Paintings Explore Collective Isolation and Existential Forms

Painter Amie Cunat’s latest exhibition in Ithaca, New York, explores pandemic-era isolation through vibrant, abstract sunflower motifs and otherworldly figures. The group show, titled "Cherry Autumn, Cataract Intervals," is on display at Neighbors Gallery through early November. Cunat’s five-year exploration of collective solitude began during a 2020 visit to a sunflower farm in upstate New York, where she observed the flowers’ bowed heads as metaphors for melancholic endurance.

Cunat’s artistic process blends meticulous layering with bold experimentation. She starts each piece by sketching geometric shapes on tracing paper before applying Flashe—a fast-drying, matte vinyl paint—and acrylic to canvas. Her technique involves four to eight coats per work, creating subtle undulations in color fields. The acrylic medium allows her to manipulate gradation, making sunflowers appear bathed in sunset hues or giving abstract forms depth through recession and projection.

The exhibition features recurring themes of unnamed creatures and ambiguous figures, which Cunat describes as "horrific things of essentially nameless experiences." These motifs reflect her attempt to give form to the indescribable emotions of the pandemic era. While viewers often project personal interpretations onto her abstract work, Cunat emphasizes that the paintings’ power lies in their openness. "If I have to hear one more person say that my paintings are really colorful, I’m going to lose my mind," she notes, acknowledging the deliberate vibrancy as both a starting point and a limitation of initial readings.

Neighbors Gallery, located in downtown Ithaca, has become a hub for contemporary abstract art under curator Maya Lin’s influence. The space’s focus on experimental techniques aligns with Cunat’s layered approach. Her work, part of a broader resurgence in color-field abstraction, invites viewers to engage with the emotional resonance of form and hue.

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