James Bartolacci. Goodnight, New York
Augustenstraße 63
February 13 – March 14, 2026

Opening – James Bartolacci is present
Friday, February 13, 2026, 6 pm – 9 pm

In his works from recent years, James Bartolacci documents queer nightlife in New York, continuing the work of Patrick Angus from the 1980s. He depicts the spaces, nightclubs, and people that form this vibrant network of parties that bring people together at night. "I want to portray these spaces with a sense of reverence, especially since many queer spaces end up closing over the years. As a painter, I want to show the range of emotions besides just ecstasy and revelry: moments of intimacy, connection, belonging, but also loneliness, isolation, or not fitting in. When so much of our time is spent alone online, I think one the best things about nightlife is its ability to bring people together in person."

James Bartolacci’s background in painting focused heavily on color theory. He tries to paint colors at their most saturated, alluding to the vibrancy within the nightclub. "When mixing my paint, I try to avoid using white paint, as white paint desaturates the color of oil paint. Instead, I achieve saturation by painting layer upon layer of pure pigment – the white background of the canvas under the paint shines through the pigment, creating an effect that resembles light or luminosity. I often choose colors that are opposites, i.e., complementary colors on the color wheel (such as hot red/cold blue, green/magenta). In color theory, opposing colors create greater color contrast, making the colors look more vibrant and saturated."

For our exhibition, James Bartolacci has created a series of eight paintings, which are shown together with some earlier works in “Goodnight, New York.”

"I see this body of work as a “Farewell for Now,” or a “Goodbye until Next Time,” as I have left the city. In the summer of 2023, I posted an ad on my Instagram looking for people  who I’ve met through nightlife that wanted to be part of this project. For these new paintings, I decided to zoom-in and mostly focus on one person per painting (except for two group scenes). I wanted each painting to feel like a homage to the time and space that brought us together. For each painting, I spent one night “going out” with each person to a party in New York. I documented our time together at each nightclub by taking photos and videos. Each painting is from a specific night at a nightclub. I also focus on the architecture of the nightclub, and how its atmosphere of colors, lights and smoke machines create a vibrant, pulsating scene."

James Bartolacci (born 1988 in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States) received his MFA in Painting and Printmaking from the Yale School of Art, Connecticut, United States in 2020. He is currently based in London, Great Britain. James Bartolacci is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant.

James Bartolacci wishes to thank The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation for its financial support.