John Yau reviews Outside In at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, on view through December 31, 2016. The show features works by Andrea Belag, Susanna Coffey, Elliott Green, Stephanie Pierce, and Eleanor Ray

Yau writes: “I am thankful for the nameless sensations and wild associations these paintings stirred up. The pleasures they offer are real, something to hold onto and remember. They have nothing to do with the authoritarian language wielded in terms such as deskilling and relational aesthetics. Something simpler and more direct is transacted between viewer and artwork: pleasure. All of these artists take us on a journey — we just have to be willing to go.”