Like many of us, Elizabeth Neel has been confronting a “crisis of faith.” “What are we doing, and why are we doing it?” she asks. For Neel, that question — and her ongoing movement toward an answer — is reflected through painting. Her newest exhibition of work, “In the Guts of the Living,” offers an exploration of how information is transferred and transformed. The show is on view through early April at Jack Shainman Gallery’s New York flagship. And what better place to think about the ways in which interiority shifts over time than within a former bank? Unlike the white cube spaces of many galleries, Jack Shainman’s Lafayette Street location occupies a former Beaux-Arts bank hall within the historic Clock Tower building. The main exhibition room features a soaring ceiling and ornate marble architectural details that predate its identity as a gallery — remnants that Neel invites into her work. “My interest in history is very served by this space,” she says. Installation view ...
She couldn’t have known being a “Bridgerton” diehard would come in handy when watching and rewatching the series, but Michelle Mao is thankful now that she was. The actor was putting together her audition tape for a mysterious new show with dummy sides, but instantly recognized the scene as one from the “Bridgerton” spin-off series “Queen Charlotte.” “Because I was such a fan of the show — and quite literally a stan, I think we can say that, I’m not embarrassed — I literally clocked it immediately,” Mao says over Zoom from Vancouver, where she’s currently working. “I knew the scene by heart. I immediately texted my reps and I was like, ‘This is for ‘Bridgerton.’” Michelle Mao, Katie Leung and Isabella Wei in “Bridgerton” season four. Courtesy of Netflix The 27-year-old would go on to land the role of Rosamund Li for the show’s fourth season, part two of which is out now. Rosamund is one of the season’s antagonists, the eldest stepsister of season four’s lead Sophie, and it took Ma...