Link to the exhibition catalog

Novado Gallery is pleased to announce "Omens: Narratives Between Mythology & Reality," a solo exhibition of new paintings by Daniel Morowitz, and will be on view through Saturday, November 1, 2025. The artist will be in attendance at the gallery from 1-4pm on Saturday, October 25, and will give an artist talk at 7pm on Thursday, October 30.

In "Omens," Morowitz delves into the complex interplay of queer identity, tradition, mythology, metaphor, and the powerful language of painting. His work boldly addresses the precarious visibility of queer culture in our contemporary moment, while simultaneously elevating it to the timeless realm of myth. Drawing inspiration from surrealism, symbolism, and abstraction, Morowitz masterfully uses intense color to craft images that both allure and challenge the viewer's perception.

Morowitz states, “Painting has a responsibility to its own history, but it also functions as a tool to combat the dangers that queerness is facing." He adeptly utilizes art-historical references, bridging contemporary queer culture with traditional symbolism. Specifically for this exhibition, Morowitz employs flowers and a fig as metaphors, symbolizing both delicacy and danger. Historically in traditional Dutch still-life painting, flowers were used for making a political statement, with certain bouquets signified wealth and status as well as political reach. Morowitz employs burning flowers to reference the biblical story of God speaking to Moses through the burning bush, thus symbolically using florals to engage queer sensibilities and impart both warning and hope. Just as ancient civilizations interpreted omens in natural phenomena, queer communities today navigate shifting cultural landscapes, marked by progress and backlash, visibility and erasure.

Daniel Morowitz (b. 1989) is a painter based in Jersey City, NJ. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree from Montclair State University.

 His work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Two Coats of Paint, New American Paintings, VICE, and Artnation on the Smithsonian Channel.