By Tyler Stallings
Walking into Amy Adler’s exhibition Nice Girl at the Orange County Museum of Art, curated by Heidi Zuckerman, OCMA’s CEO and Director, you immediately notice the cinematic arrangement of twenty-one identically sized paintings. They line the curved wall, evenly spaced, like frames from an analog film strip.
Adler first came to prominence in the 1990s through a distinct process. She drew intricate representations from photographs, photographed these drawings, then destroyed the original sketches. Only photographic reproductions remained, directly challenging traditional boundaries between photography and drawing. In Nice Girl, Adler continues this exploration of painting and photography, reflecting on the historical moment when photography disrupted painting’s dominance in portraiture. Fast forward to today, her current work mixes classical painting techniques with contemporary digital practices, resulting in a compelling reflection on our obsession with smartphone selfies.
Each painting in Nice Girl features a young woman—diverse in ethnicity and mostly appearing in their twenties or thirties, an age bracket born into an era inseparable from phones and social media. These women are immersed in capturing their own image, their eyes fixed downward on their phones. They’re not only viewing themselves through screens; they’re also seemingly checking reflections in mirrors positioned outside the frame. Standing before these artworks, viewers find themselves in the place of these unseen mirrors, momentarily becoming part of the subjects’ reflections. Yet, Adler’s subjects remain entirely focused on themselves, absorbed in personal assessment without seeking external validation.
The title, Nice Girl, feels intentionally ironic, highlighting societal pressures on women to present themselves in socially acceptable ways. It underscores the tension between genuine self-expression and performative personas.
Building on this idea, a captivating sequence at the end of the row—viewed from left to right—consists of five paintings depicting one woman posing at various angles within a bathroom. Tiles visible in the background suggest either a home bathroom or perhaps one at a restaurant; either way, the bathroom—typically among our most private spaces—here becomes a stage for performance. The progression of images intensifies the cinematic quality, reminiscent of holding a strip of analog film up to the light, noting subtle changes between frames. Today, this can also echo holding down a smartphone’s shutter button to capture rapid-fire digital shots, creating a DIY fashion photoshoot. This act underscores contemporary attitudes towards self-portraiture: intimate moments posed for eventual sharing on social media, each image awaiting the ideal moment to shape a particular public persona.
Watching visitors photograph Adler’s paintings added an additional layer of humor and irony—art imitating life, which in turn imitates art, creating an endless loop.
Examining the paintings more closely revealed grainy textures reminiscent of black velvet paintings. Adler’s use of black undercoats creates a subtle luminosity, resembling a backlit screen. This effect mirrors how lightly applied paint catches on velvet fibers, softly illuminating images from behind. Adler achieves a similar luminosity by painting on heavily woven canvas, whose coarse texture enhances this tactile effect. Such physical richness provides a striking contrast to the sterile, smooth surfaces of digital screens.
Nice Girl skillfully examines contemporary anxieties about identity, image-making, and digital visibility. Its repetitive arrangement underscores how routine self-documentation has become. Adler’s work prompts viewers not only to look at what’s on display but also to consider their own role in this ongoing cycle of digital self-examination.
April 26 – September 7, 2025
3333 Avenue of the Arts
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tyler Stallings is a writer, filmmaker, artist, and curator based in Southern California. With over 30 years of experience, he has contributed to and edited numerous books and catalogs, offering insightful scholarship in contemporary art. To learn more about his work, visit www.tylerstallings.com.
