Denizens of a crowded city populate Erin Milez’s dense paintings, creating scenes from the subway, streets, and Times Square that exude the hustle and bustle of urban life.

Moving from New York to Seattle, Milez now examines the nature of human connection in urban spaces, drawing on the work of artists like George Tooker and Jacob Lawrence. Her paintings feature blocky, social realist style, reminiscent of WPA murals, with detailed, textural compositions that hint at a 21st-century sense of detachment.

In works like “A Giving Tree,” characters are squeezed into confined spaces or obscured by foliage and infrastructure, appearing almost self-absorbed. Meanwhile, a woman curled up on a crowded beach in “Pick Your Plot” and passengers in “Subway” are all tuned into their own electronic devices, creating a crowded yet silent scenario.

Milez notes that the figures in her paintings are often cropped, particularly in their facial features, reflecting a subconscious desire for sensory limitations and a need to protect personal space. Her work runs from September 10 to October 24 at Monya Rowe Gallery.