Inner Sanctuaries: Exploring Domestic Spaces

Inner Sanctuaries: Exploring Domestic Spaces
Juried Exhibition
April 23 - May 10, 2024
Reception: April 26, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents the Juried Exhibition “Inner Sanctuaries: Exploring Domestic Spaces,” juried by Stephanie J. Woods. “Inner Sanctuaries” will be on view from April 23rd through May 10th, with a reception on April 26th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

"Inner Sanctuaries: Exploring Domestic Space" invites contemplation on themes of grief, joy, sacredness, gender constructs, femininity, loneliness, memory, animal kinship, and the delicate interplay of existence. Through a diverse array of disciplines, including paintings, sculpture, photography, textiles, collages, drawings, and works on paper, this exhibition unfolds as a gentle ode to the sanctuaries we call home.

Selected with care, each artist offers a unique perspective, urging viewers to ponder the complexities of domesticity with both tenderness and introspection. Joni P. Gordon's poignant photography piece, Untitled (Beyond Expectation II Series), captures the experiences of a Jamaican immigrant navigating the realm of domestic service, prompting reflection on assumed roles and untold narratives. In moments of quiet reflection, Justin Carney's photography series, With Family Photos and Our Shadow, guide us through the labyrinth of loss juxtaposed against the joys of being alive. Meanwhile, Hugo Ximello-Salido's visionary work, The Radiance of Gender Fluidity, invites contemplation on the fluidity of time and our perception of gender.

These 33 featured artworks serve as whispers of cultural memory, prompting us to question the boundaries between the private and the public, the seen and the unseen. From the use of breast milk as a material language to the intimate embrace of self-swaddling and the use of everyday objects, this exhibition becomes an invitation to explore the essence of home and the sanctity of the human experience.

Exhibiting Artists:
Aileen Bahmanipour, Ali Hval, Briena Harmening, Caitlin Carcerano, Carolyn Berry, Charis Fleshner, Delaney McRitchie, Elaine Hullihen, Eleanor Oakes, Elisabeth Williams, Ellan Luna, Emily Grace McCoy, Hannah Altman, Heather Merckle, Hedda Neelsen, Hugo Ximello-Salido, Jeanette Hammerstein, Joni P. Gordon, Justin Carney, Karly Jean Kainz, Katria Foster, Lauren Allen, Mariah Cameron Scee, Paul Braverman, Rebecca Cohen, Robert King, Roxanne Darling, Ruiqi Xu, Sam Bennett, Stacy Isenbarger, Veronica Ceci, William Luka

About the Juror:
Stephanie J. Woods is a multimedia artist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she is an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Art at the University of New Mexico. Working primarily in the fields of photography, fiber, video, and sculpture. She creates mixed-media works, handcrafting the props featured in her photographs. Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, she cultivates an artistic practice concerned with exploring Black American culture, identity, and the impact of involuntary cultural assimilation.

In 2021 Woods was selected to attend the artist residency Black Rock Senegal, located in Dakar Senegal, and in 2021 Woods was also awarded the 1858 Prize for contemporary southern art awarded by the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina. Woods is also the recipient of several other awards, residencies, and fellowships, including the 2022 Harpo Prize, the Fine Arts Work Center fellowship, ACRE Residency, the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists Residency, and Penland School of Craft. Her work is featured in permanent collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and the Gibbes Museum of Art, among others . Additionally, she has been featured in BOMB Magazine, Art Papers, Lenscratch, Burnaway, and the Boston Art Review.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am - 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.