Soft Animals
In the heart of Philadelphia's vibrant art scene at Park Towne Place, Alex Spalding's "Soft Animals" unfolds as a poetic meditation on the untamed essence of human nature, drawing its curatorial spark from Mary Oliver's evocative line in "Wild Geese": "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." This solo exhibition, presented by InLiquid from February 1 to May 31, 2026, extends Spalding's acclaimed "Wild Side" series, inviting viewers into a realm where instinct and desire reign freely. Fundamentally, it probes the tender wildness within us all—portraying women and animals as elemental beings, self-possessed and expressive, navigating the charged interplay between allure and alienation. Spalding reimagines tenderness not as fragility but as profound courage, echoing Oliver's life-affirming communion with the natural world, and challenging us to embrace our primal impulses without apology.
Spalding's works materialize this vision through vibrant, stylized figurative paintings that pulse with life, rendered in bold hues and expressive strokes honed by his self-taught mastery. Though rooted in portraiture, the pieces transcend traditional canvas boundaries, incorporating sculptural and mixed-media elements that evoke tactile depth—soft, yielding forms reminiscent of textiles and installations, blurring the line between two and three dimensions. Series from the lead-up to "Wild Side" feature women whose gazes pierce with unbridled sensuality, their bodies curving like living organisms in whimsical repose, surrounded by animalistic motifs that suggest metamorphosis. These aren't mere depictions; they're immersive encounters, where layered glazes and digital-infused techniques—born from Spalding's eclectic past in music and illustration—infuse each surface with a kinetic energy, as if the figures might stir at any moment, their "soft animal" forms whispering of instinctual joy.
Positioned within broader art-historical dialogues, "Soft Animals" resonates with the biomorphic surrealism of Joan Miró and Henry Moore, where organic shapes defy rigidity to pulse with subconscious vitality, while echoing contemporary conversations in figurative painting that reclaim the body from abstraction's grasp. Spalding engages the post-digital era's fusion of technology and intuition, much like the ecological biomorphism explored in InLiquid's concurrent shows, such as "Atopos Adaptation," which similarly dissolves boundaries between art, science, and nature. His work stands as a bridge to feminist reclamations of the female form—from Jenny Saville's raw corporeality to Lisa Yuskavage's playful eroticism—infusing them with a queer-inflected tenderness that honors Philadelphia's legacy of boundary-pushing galleries.
What makes "Soft Animals" a must-visit is its transformative intimacy, housed in the artist-in-residency studio at Park Towne Place's Towne Center, where visitors can witness Spalding at work amid the exhibition's glow. This isn't a distant gallery gaze but a tactile, multisensory immersion—complete with a February 18 reception for direct dialogue with the artist—that fosters personal revelation. In a city pulsing with innovation, Spalding offers rare permission to revel in our wild hearts, leaving you invigorated, perhaps even softer in your own skin, amid Philadelphia's spring awakening.