FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2025
Orchid Fever: transcendental artist Hayley Youngs transforms flora into sublime dreamscapes
in a new solo exhibition at 5-50 Gallery
Orchid Juice, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 18” x 24”
New York, NY – Artist Hayley Youngs presents Orchid Fever, a solo exhibition of new paintings exploring the strange and divine realm of nature at 5-50 Gallery, on view June 14 – July 20, 2025.
In Orchid Fever, Youngs introduces new paintings that transform the physical forms of their floral subject matter into emotionally lush spaces that are psychedelic and transcendent. Because flowers have a rich symbolic history in art and culture at-large, it’s tempting to describe Youngs’ work in equally symbolic language. But Youngs’ orchids are more mystical spaces than flowers as we know them. Youngs eschews botanical representations of orchids, altering their forms in order to accentuate their hypnotic patterns, movement and colors. Untethered from human meaning, the otherworldly beings in Youngs’ abstracted paintings are portals into nature’s surreal, immeasurable presence.
“Orchids in particular captivate me; they feel like beings from another realm, strange and divine. Through abstraction and psychedelic color, I try to capture not just how they look, but how they feel—transcendent, alive, and emotionally charged.” – Hayley Youngs
Like the dreamy plunge of Alice in Wonderland, which partly inspires her practice, Youngs’ work unfurls a magical and immersive escape from the world as we see it for the world as we can imagine it. These paintings are portals into dreams, but they are also—does one daresay?—simply beautiful and fun and playful. Full stop.
About Hayley Youngs
Hayley Youngs (b. 1986, Oneonta, NY) is a painter living and working in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a BFA from Pratt Institute and her art has been included in shows at Hollis Taggart Gallery, Wassaic Project, Future Fair, Lorin Gallery, Spring Break Art Fair, 5-50 Gallery, Deanna Evans Project, IRL Gallery, Proto Gomez Gallery, One River School, Elza Kayal Gallery, Field of Play Gallery, Paradice Palase, Satellite Art Show, Showfields curated by Maria Vogel and more! Youngs had her first solo show at the Mark Borghi Gallery of the Hamptons in the summer of 2022. Youngs was selected and attended the Summer 2022 artist residency at Château d’Orquevaux in France.
Website: https://hayleyyoungs.com
Instagram: @hayleyey
About 5-50 Gallery
5-50 Gallery is a gallery/curatorial space located in Long Island City (Queens, NY) at the site of a former stone carving business. We focus on showing emerging and mid-career artists whose works are bold, but with an edge.
For us, it is important to display art that is both visually and conceptually captivating, and, most importantly, art that speaks to the present moment. Working with young and emerging artists enables us to participate in the art community in innovative and exciting ways by allowing us to offer such artists a platform and to surprise collectors with new talent. We further seek to engage the art community by being an inclusive and welcoming space that contributes to the accessibility of art for all, as signified by the large open door of our gallery. It is important for us to build meaningful and lasting relations with collectors, artists, and all art lovers, and to support our artists and grow their and our audience.
Website: https://www.5-50gallery.com
Instagram: @550gallery