Novado Gallery presents a Johan Wahlstrom Exhibition: "ALL of Us"

Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 10/09/2026

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Novado Gallery presents "ALL of Us," an exhibition featuring new figurative paintings by Johan Wahlstrom. The exhibition opens on Saturday, October 10, 2026 and runs through November 14, 2026. Wahlstrom's latest work brings us face-to-face with something at once familiar and elusive: ourselves.

For more than a decade, Wahlstrom has developed a distinctive visual language in which expressive faces, charged color pigments, and densely worked surfaces transform the atmosphere of contemporary life into painting. His work has been exhibited internationally, from New York, Chicago, and Oslo to London, Dubai, Madrid, and Marbella,- and is held in museum, institutional, and private collections across Europe and the United States.

"ALL of Us" brings the conversation close to home, where the individual face becomes a point of entry into the larger, often contradictory experience of being human. These paintings are not traditional portraits, but encounters. Faces shift and emerge through layers of color and gesture, carrying traces of humor, tension, vulnerability, confidence, and uncertainty. They seem to belong to specific individuals while remaining open enough for viewers to recognize themselves within them.

Wahlstrom's background as a rock and roll keyboardist and singer, having toured with Ian Hunter, Graham Parker, and Mick Ronson, remains present in the rhythm of his compositions. Color moves like sound, lines interrupt and overlap, and dense passages give way to moments of visual silence. His characteristic sense of alienation feels intimate rather than distant; these figures are active participants in the world rather than mere observers.

"All of Us" continues Wahlstrom's interest in the psychological landscape of our time, allowing the human figure to take center stage. Ultimately, it is about recognition—the fleeting moment when an unfamiliar face begins to feel strangely known.

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There will be an Opening Reception on Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. The gallery is located at 110 Morgan Street in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Novado Gallery LLC opened its doors in December 2016. The gallery carries an inventory of artworks on paper & on canvas, and provides a range of art services for corporate and private clients throughout the east coast including art installation, art commissions for specific projects, and museum-quality custom framing. At Novado Gallery, their carefully curated programming presents works that encourage dialogue, celebrate the artist’s vision, and challenge conventions. From established to emerging talent, each exhibition in the gallery has been created to resonate with intellectual and emotional depth.

Their exhibitions also feature insightful events. Whether it's an artist's talk, a panel discussion, or a gallery tour, their aim is to bridge the gap between art and its audience, providing a platform for meaningful interaction.

Novado Gallery, is located 2 blocks from the downtown waterfront in the Modera Lofts, between Washington & Warren Streets. They are minutes by train from the World Trade Center to Grove Street. Ferry service from Manhattan to Harborside or Exchange Place. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00am to 6:00pm and by appointment. The gallery will be closed October 13th.