Selfhood

Selfhood
Juried Exhibition
January 2 - January 19
Reception: January 5, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Selfhood, a juried exhibition by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas. This juried exhibition will be on view from January 2 through January 19, with a special reception on January 5th from 5-7pm.

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas selected 30 artists from locations across the United States including Colorado, Kansas, Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington for this exhibition. Selected artworks are centered upon the concept of selfhood; the works consider how selfhood is constructed, altered, and reimagined. Artists investigate the multiplicitous nature of selfhood: gender, sexual orientation, race, class, age, ethnicity, and so forth. Selfhood, as a dichotomy, can reflect cultural norms and be a source of resistance to them. Navigating selfhood during disruptive times can lead to crossroads of crisis; therefore, some featured artists present visualizations of selfhood that explore the process of self-discovery, self-definition, and self-direction.

Two artists, Renee Couture and Suzanne Faris, explore the impact of gender upon selfhood. Renee Couture contemplates the nuances and complications of motherhood via photography and hand-painted ink. In her artwork titled The Ordinary Work of Women, Faris considers the endless nature of the women’s movement wherein the fight for equality is never finished. 

From a stance of self-discovery and self-definition, artists examine the role of race and ethnicity within selfhood. What does it mean to be American? How does one traverse life as an immigrant, first-generation American or second-generation American? Two artists investigate these questions through traditional art historical genres: portraiture and still life. Yashoda Latkar suggests otherness in her digital image Everything at once by referencing food and religion. Introspective, arranged objects allude to familial roots in Jennifer Seo’s three-dimensional artworks.

Realist painters, Jason John and Marshall Sharpe, anchor selfhood within a space: exterior and interior. Literally, the characters in their paintings are placed in environments; however, the seated male figures divulge internal narratives of identity.

The artists featured in Selfhood approach the topic from innovative perspectives and create with an assortment of materials. Some artworks approach the concept of selfhood in a symbolic manner. For example, Laura Nugent’s paintings, Changing Bodies No. 36: Subtext and Changing Bodies No. 47: Subtext, hint at the passage of time and the development of psyche through the years. Perhaps selfhood is not a case of resolution but a daily existence of progression. Nika Feldman’s artwork Catch of the Day employs a variety of materials: recycled t-shirt, vintage buttons, thread, and 300 needles. This fiber artwork dangles like femininity turned upside down. The built-up encrusted materials read as the evidentiary fingerprints of selfhood.

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 and Instagram. 

Exhibiting Artists:
Ajean Ryan, Allyson McDuffie, Anastasia King, Brenda Stumpf, Caitlin Carcerano, Claire Christine Sargenti, Craig Cully, Daniel Brothers, Isabel Winson-Sagan, Jason John, Jennifer Seo, Katie Sieker, Katrina Shafor, Laura Nugent, Lois Harbaugh, Maggie Day, Marianne Hall, Marshall Sharpe, Nandi Egber, Nathan Garcia, Nika Feldman, Oli Boyer, Paulina Arango Mora, R. Melinda Hoffman, Renee Couture, Rica Maestas, Sang Lee, Shirin Melatgohar, Suzanne Faris, Yashoda Latkar.

About the Juror
Rosemary Meza-DesPlas is a 2022 Latinx Artist Fellowship recipient. A multidisciplinary artist, her studio practice incorporates fiber art, drawing, installation, painting, performance art, and video. Meza-DesPlas’ visual artwork is thematically linked to her academic writing and poetry. She presents at academic conferences including College Art Association, International Conference of the Image, and Feminist Art Conference. Her artwork has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally.