Exhibits open 6:00pm – 10:00pm during Art Walk on the 1st Fridays of every month.

Gallery hours Monday through Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm

Extended Gallery Hours most Wednesays, Thursdays,  and Fridays until 10pm

Sometimes galleries are closed for private events

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Overview

Throughout history, poison has been intertwined with feminine imagery, often depicted in poetry as a potent tool of seduction. In his poem “La Dulce Boca,” Luis De Gongora eloquently captured this notion with the verse “porque entre un labio y otro colorado amor está de su veneno armado” (for between one lip and the other, love is armed with her venom). Such metaphors, echoed by countless poets and now permeating modern popular culture, have established a narrative where poison symbolizes a natural facet of femininity.

In the realm of visual arts, women have historically occupied a modest space within the vast artistic panorama, one that we perceive as borrowed rather than inherently ours. Yet, it is incumbent upon us to engage with the tools at our disposal, to allure with our exquisite yet potent artistry, and to articulate ourselves through the intimate medium of drawing. This exhibition endeavors to explore our interconnectedness as female artists, challenging conventional notions of technique and reclaiming the symbolic associations that have been imposed upon us.

Drawing, beyond being a technique within the realm of fine arts, serves as a fundamental instrument in the evolution of human expression. It constitutes the graphic foundation of all forms present in the universe, although historically overshadowed by painting. Despite its pivotal role in pre-Renaissance art, wherein it revolutionized pictorial production by introducing perspective and depth, drawing struggled to assert itself as a standalone medium until much later.

Both Ingres and Delacroix recognized the paramount importance of drawing in artistic creation, with Ingres emphasizing its foundational nature and Delacroix championing painting’s ability to rectify shortcomings. These divergent viewpoints laid the groundwork for 20th-century artistic exploration, embodying a tension between precision and spontaneity.

In the contemporary artistic landscape, drawing occupies a unique position, transcending traditional boundaries and emerging as a profoundly expressive and revered technique. Its enduring presence, rooted in the intimate essence of the artist, distinguishes it as a language of unparalleled eloquence.

Like a drop of poison, drawing embodies a paradoxical duality, possessing qualities both gentle and fierce, subtle and aggressive. Through this exhibition, artists spanning generations and life experiences unite to articulate themselves in the most intimate language they know, transforming drawing into a multi-dimensional experience encompassing audiovisual elements, performance, and boundless creative expression.