Fiction/Nonfiction

Marinaro is pleased to present an exhibition of sculptural wall constructions by Ron Isaacs. Isaacs’ trompe l’oeil works blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture through extraordinary craftsmanship and perceptual illusion. For decades, Isaacs has developed a singular visual language centered on hand-crafted relief constructions fabricated from painted birch plywood. His works frequently depict garments, botanical forms, and found objects with astonishing realism, inviting viewers into a layered meditation on memory, transformation, and material perception. Through meticulous surface detail and sculptural depth, Isaacs creates objects that appear at once familiar and uncanny, balancing humor, elegance, and psychological resonance. Isaacs employs traditional trompe l’oeil strategies while simultaneously exposing the constructed nature of the image itself. The resulting works exist in a dynamic space between illusion and objecthood. Vintage clothing, recurring throughout his practice, functions as an anthropomorphic stand-in for the absent figure, carrying traces of personal and collective histories. This exhibition at Marinaro brings together a focused selection of recent works that expand upon the artist’s longstanding investigation into perception, materiality, and the poetic possibilities of illusion. Rich in texture, wit, and formal invention, the exhibition highlights Isaacs’ meticulous practice. Ron Isaacs lives and works in Lexington, Kentucky. His work has been exhibited widely in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Racine Museum of Art, Racine, WI; KMAC, Louisville, KY; The University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, KY; The Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH; and The National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC. Isaacs had five exhibitions at the renowned Monique Knowlton Gallery in SoHo in the 1970s and 80s.