“The narratives come together to create this overall picture that you see from the distance, especially in my large canvases,” says Julie Mehretu, describing her paintings. “As you come close to it the big picture completely shatters and there are these numerous small narratives happening.” The works in this exhibition begin with a blurred photographic image and then layer upon layer combine screen print, ink, acrylic, and drawing. The gestural swirls, marks, and streaks are ephemeral yet grounded, their volatile nature evoking the sort of emotions that have permeated these times. At Marian Goodman, Mehretu has two bodies of work on display. The first was created pre-pandemic, and the second during the artist’s months of quarantine in upstate New York. Executed in tones of dark blue and black, the paintings in the second series capture both disbelief and silent mourning. —E.C.