Margot Samel - One foot in the gravy
On view till May 11, 2024
It is only the walls that are white at Margot Samel Gallery. Kris Lemsalu’s second show at the gallery, One foot in the gravy zones entirely in on celebration and explores the iconography that comes alongside. Embroidered pieces entirely focused on a pastel color palette line the walls. Dyed cargo pants with sculptures of vulvae take up the center of joy in the embroidered pieces. Tongues are a consistent motif in Lemsalu’s pieces, as a flag, as a cushion, or manifested into universal elements. Lemsalu doesn’t shy away from creating life into a blossoming ceremony, and blossoming it all is, with the extensive floral embroideries. In the end, Lemsalu creates her own spring, and commemoration is the name of the game.
Institute for Studies on Latin American Art - Threads to the South
On view till July 27, 2024
These threads tie ancestry, heritage, identity, and roots at the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art. Threads to the South, features Olga de Amaral, Cristina Flores Pescorán, Mónica Millán, Marlene Hoffman, and many more, and is curated by Anna Buckhardt Pérez. The various artists of the show utilize fiber as a vehicle to connect and redevelop their roots, whilst understanding the colonial contexts that come along with art practices and communal organizing. Olga de Amaral takes inspiration from traditional Colombian basket weaving, as well as the earthy color palette of Bogota to form her piece, while Mónica Millán utilizes traditional needle lace work that connects generations of craft practices. Here, thread forms a place for exploring personal and communal timelines.
MOMAPS1 - Pacita Abad
On view till September 2, 2024
From trapunto techniques to beaded embroidery, Pacita Abad’s imagery on political oppression, immigration and identity, and ceremony make up the massive walls at MOMAPS1. The retrospective on Abad combines textiles, painting, and video, and pulls from many different diasporic imagery to shape the much broader political documentation within the exhibit. Abad’s work is loud, for she doesn’t shy away from the extent of ornamentation, nor does she ever make her political stance invisible. Her work takes up space, speaking for a globally influenced practice, yet also centering herself in the continuous power of organizing. With her retrospective, Abad has many conversations in store. And she has them all.
MOMAPS1 - Melissa Cody: Webbed Skies
On view till September 9, 2024
Melissa Cody presents multiplicity in navigating generational identity through her weavings currently exhibited at MOMAPS1. She presents stories from her Navajo heritage, while also interconnecting her personal narratives involving the loved ones in her life. The weavings document, but also become the document: considering the particularities with Navajo Germantown weaving, Cody presents a dual archive in her work that involves both medium and message.