Kimberly Engel

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Gaslight 60 x 48 inches Acrylic on Canvas

Kimberly Engel’s Gaslight is a visceral, emotionally charged abstract that pulses with psychological tension. Swaths of yellow and black swirl and collide in layered drips and gestural strokes, evoking the confusion and instability that define emotional manipulation. The palette itself feels symbolic—yellow, often associated with light and truth, is smudged and shadowed by charcoal black, suggesting obfuscation and distorted clarity. Areas of blurring and dripping appear like fading memories or words twisted out of context—moments slipping from grasp or being rewritten.

There’s no clear focal point, which intensifies the disorientation. Instead, the eye travels across the canvas in a restless loop, never quite settling—mirroring the experience of someone trapped in the cycle of gaslighting. The painting feels alive, like it’s shifting beneath your gaze, refusing to be pinned down. Engel’s use of texture—scraped, scrubbed, and fluid—adds another layer of tension, embodying the abrasion and erosion of one’s sense of reality.

Ultimately, Gaslight doesn’t offer answers or catharsis. It captures the haunting echo of psychological warfare, where light is manipulated to cast doubt instead of clarity. Engel confronts viewers with a raw, unflinching visual vocabulary of emotional entrapment, inviting reflection on power, vulnerability, and the battle to reclaim the truth.