Nicholas Bono Kennedy - After The Dinner Party | Hashimoto Contemporary

Nicholas Bono Kennedy : After The Dinner Party
March 14th - April 4th, 2026
During his research for this exhibition, Kennedy discovered the work of German physiologist Ewald Hering, a 19th-century theorist who developed Opponent Process Theory, a proposal that we perceive color in opposing pairs, with one activating as the other recedes. In the 20th century, psychologist Richard Solomon expanded the theory to explain emotional responses, suggesting that intense feelings are often followed by their opposite as the brain works to restore balance.

For Kennedy, this intersection between color and emotion feels deeply personal. The quiet sadness that can follow a joyful gathering, a strange combination of gratitude paired with hollowness. It’s these memories that informed the heart of this latest body of work.
- Nicholas Bono Kennedy, Breakfast Floral, 2026
  $ 3,500.00
The works are filled with intimate details: burned-down candles, untouched fruit, fallen glasses, oversized bouquets with no one left to admire them. There is warmth in the paintings, but also a stillness which reflects the complexity of connection. Kennedy invites viewers to linger in that in-between space: the moment after laughter fades, when memory and emotion begin to overlap, creating a deeply relatable meditation on community, perception, and the subtle rhythms of being human.
Nicholas Bono Kennedy is a Los Angeles-based painter whose work explores the emotional and psychological resonance of his environment. Drawing from a decade-long career in animation, where he specialized in background painting, Kennedy brings a cinematic sensitivity to atmosphere, space, and narrative in his contemporary practice.

Formally trained in Illustration, Kennedy initially developed his artistic foundation through plein- air and still life painting. In 2020, he pivoted toward more ambitious, large-scale compositions, an experimental shift that allowed for a decisive break from his commercial practice. This transition catalyzed his full-time commitment to painting, allowing for a growing presence in the contemporary art world through regular exhibition showings both in the US and abroad.

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