November 10, 2023 to January 5, 2024

Galerie Lucida is pleased to present our inaugural exhibition, Memento, a group exhibition featuring the work of Natali Bravo-Barbee, Valerie Hegarty, Sarah Petruziello, Jessica Ramirez, Andreas Rentsch, Gerald Slota, Jonpaul Smith, Amy Wilson, and Deborah Yasinsky. The show will run from Nov. 10, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024 with a reception for the artists on Friday, Nov. 10, from 5 PM – 8 PM.

The common thread running throughout the exhibition is the artists’ critical engagement with memory, myth, and history.

Natali Bravo-Barbee’s installation, Flores de Femicidio, is a memorial to victims of femicide in her native country, Argentina, in 2019, the year she began her research. The resulting work is presented in the form of 327 intricate flowers made of unique cyanotype photograms.

Valerie Hegarty’s meticulously crafted constructions present contemporary issues and historical events through the lens of decay. Her deeply researched and intricately layered works transcend recorded history and inspire alternative interpretations.

Sarah Petruziello’s meticulous graphite pencil drawings depict psychologically charged portraits and self-portraits. Her highly dramatic personal narrative compositions simultaneously suggest more universal political and social issues.

Jessica Ramirez reflects on her Mexican and Argentine heritage to explore issues of cultural identity and assimilation. Her vibrant, imaginative tapestries fuse personal imagery and regional symbolism to address the struggles of assimilation and the longing for a connection to one’s roots.

Andreas Rentsch uses the primitive pinhole camera to make imagery culminating in exquisite solar-plate prints. His mysterious, monochromatic photographs evoke emotions of anxiety and longing.

Gerald Slota upends photographic expectations using traditional camera-based imagery and techniques, combined with manual interventions and rephotography. His representations of Paterson, NJ, are a paean to the once prominent industrial town, now sadly in a state of decline and disrepair.

Jonpaul Smith creates tapestry-like work by weaving together hundreds of strips of printed paper into complex abstract studies of color, text, and image. In Undisclosed, he subtly and uncannily reveals long established racist iconography prevalent in American consumerist culture.

Amy Wilson combines traditional and contemporary techniques to create intricate lace and textile narratives. Playful and inviting, her exquisitely crafted works lure the viewer in to read her poignant and engaging diaristic writings.

Deborah Yasinsky invokes symbolic intermediaries – birds, butterflies, and unicorns – along with forest imagery and symbolic objects from Judaism and Catholicism to confront past trauma. Carved in low relief and often coated with painterly glazes and under-glazes, her ceramic vessels are an ode to memory, childhood, and ritual.

For more information, contact Gallery Director, Michael Mazzeo at info@galerielucida.com.