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A Hyperallergic art review discusses Mala Iqbal’s new paintings, including works shown at Manhattan’s JJ Murphy gallery. The paintings depict subway riders and other scenes of shared urban life, using layered images and obscured figures to explore how people experience one another and process images of violence.
Hyperallergic has published an art review of Mala Iqbal’s recent paintings, which depict crowded city scenes, subway passengers and images filtered through curtains or screens. The review focuses on works shown at JJ Murphy gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, reading them as reflections on how strangers share public space while often looking away from one another.
The paintings discussed include “Subway Riders” (2026), shown near the gallery’s front windows, and “Through the Curtains” (2026). The review describes Iqbal’s canvases as crowded with figures and says many are set in an orange-and-yellow glow associated with life under electric lighting. “Through the Curtains” uses a sequence of images and a tulle-like veil to interrupt the view of a scene of collapse.
The reviewer interprets that composition as an analogy for encountering violence and collapse through screens, where images arrive quickly and may be difficult to absorb. That is the reviewer’s reading of the painting, not a stated explanation from Iqbal in the material provided. Other works cited include “Times Square” (2026) and “Transparent Friend” (2025).
In the subway paintings, passengers occupy the same confined space but do not necessarily meet one another’s gaze. The review says faces are turned away, blocked or stylized. In “Subway Riders,” one figure is identified as artist Angela Dufresne, Iqbal’s partner. The reviewer notes that Dufresne appears to be recording something, looking toward the viewer without looking directly at them.
The review’s central point is that Iqbal treats public space as a place of physical closeness without assured connection. Subway riders share a journey and a limited space, but their gestures and averted gazes preserve the social distance between strangers. The paintings make that familiar urban experience visible without presenting it as either wholly alienating or warmly communal.
The works also connect everyday looking with mediated looking. In “Through the Curtains,” layers interrupt the image, inviting the reviewer to consider how screens shape encounters with distant events. This reading gives the exhibition relevance beyond its city scenes: it asks how people make sense of images when attention is divided and events are encountered through repeated, fast-moving visual fragments.
For readers, the report offers a way to understand how contemporary painting can address public life, attention and image-making through ordinary scenes rather than a direct documentary account. The review describes the paintings’ mood as energetic and layered, while stressing that their urban figures remain guarded.
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The Paintings and Their Setting
The supplied report is an art review by Hyperallergic, not an announcement of a new exhibition schedule or a statement from the artist. It identifies JJ Murphy gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side as the setting for the works discussed and includes paintings dated 2025 and 2026. The material does not give exhibition dates, the full title of a show, or details about its size.
The reviewer places the work in relation to social realism and names Matisse and Ben Shahn as visual points of comparison. In the review’s description, “Times Square” has a chalky palette associated with Shahn, while the paintings’ mood retains a degree of ease. These are critical comparisons offered by the writer, rather than classifications attributed to Iqbal.
Across the works, the review describes images as assembled from figures, signs and visual layers. Some paintings use warm artificial light; others, such as “Through the Curtains,” rely on veiling and patterned surfaces. The review presents those choices as part of Iqbal’s interest in how reality is constructed and seen.
“The world is a room we share with strangers, most of whom are looking elsewhere.”
— Hyperallergic review
What the Report Leaves Unspecified
The supplied material does not state when the review was published, how long the paintings will be on view, or whether the works remain at JJ Murphy gallery. It also does not provide a direct interview with Iqbal or an artist’s statement explaining the intended meaning of individual paintings.
Accordingly, interpretations of “Through the Curtains,” the subway scenes and the artists’ visual influences should be understood as the reviewer’s analysis. The source material identifies the paintings and describes their appearance, but it does not establish that Iqbal intended the specific screen-and-violence metaphor proposed in the review.
Viewing the Works and Review
Readers can consult the Hyperallergic review for its full discussion and images credited to Hrag Vartanian. Anyone seeking to view the paintings in person should check directly with JJ Murphy gallery for current access and exhibition information, since dates and availability are not included in the supplied report.
No additional exhibition announcement, artist interview or follow-up development is identified in the source material. The next confirmed step is therefore access to the published review and, subject to gallery confirmation, information about whether the works are still on display.
Key Questions
What is the news about Mala Iqbal?
Hyperallergic published an art review discussing Iqbal’s recent paintings, including works shown at JJ Murphy gallery in Manhattan.
Which paintings does the review discuss?
The report names “Subway Riders” (2026), “Through the Curtains” (2026), “Times Square” (2026) and “Transparent Friend” (2025).
What themes does the review identify?
The reviewer focuses on strangers sharing urban space, guarded or averted gazes, and the way images can be layered or filtered. The interpretation of the paintings’ themes is the reviewer’s analysis.
Are the paintings still on view at JJ Murphy gallery?
The supplied report does not give exhibition dates or current availability. Readers should contact the gallery for the latest viewing information.
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