COMMUNITY & ISOLATION

Karin Campbell’s charcoal drawings were made during the pandemic, a period of isolation for so many of us, and yet they portray a community of figures demonstrating protection, celebration, and love. These figures are brought to life by the artist’s use of erasing and smudging; a sense of motion is heightened with the ghostly remnants of where they started. 

Myasia Dowdell’s paintings explore the idea of community through the grouping of animals - in this case, birds and butterflies. Beautifully plumed creatures sit on the entrances to parks; without the presence of humans, they are the sole inhabitants of the city’s green spaces. All three of these works were created during the period of lockdown, which reinforces their optimistic sense of gathering - and belonging.

FEMININITY

Often combining text and figures, Christine Lewis’s works take the viewer inside of the mind of the women she draws. From different time periods and different locations, these women express their own views of themselves and the world they live within. By doing so, Lewis is able to - literally - create histories for these women on her terms.

Like Lewis’s elegant figures, Lily Gibeon’s work on paper features a portrait of a woman who wears what looks to be a fancy outfit in an outdoor setting. Gibeon, a resident of London’s Friern Hospital, also drew a number of pieces with cats and birds with what appear to be “baby” animals inside of them; the location of the birds on the woman’s dress almost impart the same feeling to the viewer.

THE BODY

Several artists in the exhibition approach the body and body image, both internalized and external. Hyegyeong Choi's work aims to counter traditional views of ideal beauty; the women that populate her scenes are full-figured, often eating or in repose. In Rice to Power Through the Day, these figures do not fulfill the traditional role of a woman “belonging in the kitchen,” they instead assert ownership over the space and their individuality.

 Juanita Rogers’ tempera, watercolor, and pencil works on paper display a feeling of joy and a nod to her community and surroundings. Bodies are full and often in motion, seen in both Festival and Woman, with one showing women as a member of community and the latter as an individual.

Raquel Albarran’s works on paper also address the body, but often it is through illness or amputation. Yet despite this theme, Albarran does not pass judgment through her work. Somehow, her drawings of amputations almost normalize these missing limbs or displaced organs; the figures they belong to are rendered carefully with bright, saturated color that dares the viewer to look away.

INTIMACY

Rebecca Goyette’s mixed-media altar combines the artist’s skills as a painter, ceramic artist, and sculptor to give an intimate look into a relationship Goyette has both with her mother and herself. The viewer is invited to stand face-to-face with “offerings” of curated objects and artwork that hold personal significance for the artist as we are welcomed into this space of memory and connection.

Jaqueline Cedar’s drawings are not only an intimate size, they also take the viewer on a journey of the mind. From a ninja on the streets of New York under an emoji moon, to an avalanche of green with the text “Holy Guacamole,” there is a playful presence in each piece, but one that also suggests a surrealistic depiction of the inner parts of the self.

Nicole Appel is known for her intricate colored pencil “patchwork portraits,” a form of conceptual collage bringing together imagery to represent self and others. In this small piece she has created a collage - the only one of its kind - as a form of self-portrait. The figure makes direct eye contact with the viewer while baring her breasts, and wears jewelry that makes this nudity a form of intentional celebration.

 For more information please contact rachel@shelternyc.com.