PRÆY: An exhibition by Sophia Rene and Alice Waller
Opening Reception: July 25th, 7:00 - 9:00
Runs through August 22nd
Birdland, 706 Mountford Ave. Raleigh, NC
The exhibition 'PRÆY' references the ideas of both 'prey' and 'prayer' in reference to our bodies, autonomy, and fetishization. The word and work combines the violence and reverence of our bodies as they exist in the world. The motif of birds of prey and altar pieces highlight the juxtaposition of bodies as sexualized versus embodied. It explores desire and control through nakedness and asks the audience, "where is the line between fetishization and awe?."
The paintings surrounding the artist's burial reflect differently abled bodies as sacred icons. The paintings of bodies with dwarfism reclaim the emotional landscape of disabled existence through intimacy, vulnerability, and reverence- PRAY -while the center of the gallery holds "the inevitable" of our bodies final form - PREY. The push and pull of concealment (like the bodies submerged in soil) and exposure (paintings of naked bodies being exalted) suggests sexuality and autonomy as something innate to us all as a part of nature.
Throughout PRÆY, the body is upheld as something to be desired and revered. It challenges who or what is granted autonomy over a body and how systems of power and shape the ways in which we present ourselves. Here, vulnerability and sanctity coexist. Hunted and holy. Earthbound and exalted.
The exhibition runs until August 22. We will be sharing hours for the sound parties, artists panel, and workshop throughout the shows run. Doors open at 7 pm on the 25th! Paintings, sculptures, and prints will be for sale throughout August!
Parking is available on the street for free. Carpooling or biking is always encouraged. There are no steps to enter Birdland but there is a (slightly sloped and bumpy in parts) parking lot. Please reach out with any accessibility needs. jeangray@vaeraleigh.org
My Cousin's House
My Cousin’s House opens June 3 at the Jobe House at VAE Raleigh.
Curated by Whitney Stanley, the exhibition brings together works by William Paul Thomas, Nori McDuffie, Alyssa Cuffie, Phillip Loken, Huiyin Zhou, and Whitney Stanley.
An exhibition exploring intimacy, relationships, memory, and the spaces that hold us, My Cousin’s House considers the emotional weight of familiarity, connection, vulnerability, nostalgia, and personal history through photography, mixed media, and interdisciplinary works.
Opening Reception: June 6, 2026 | 2–5 PM
On view June 3 – July 26, 2026
Anna Podris, Keith Norval, and Tavyn Lovitt (Copy)
The Jobe House, 909 W. Morgan St. Raleigh
On Exhibit: Anna Podris, Keith Norval, and their Plus One: Tavyn Lovitt
Sidewalk Opening
February 6th
5:00 - 7:00
Corner of Hargett and Fayetteville in Downtown Raleigh
Street Frame: Caitlin Cary and Ginny Robinson (Copy)
Street Frame: Corner of Fayetteville and Hargett, Downtown Raleigh
This month in Raleigh, QuiltCon, the largest modern quilting event in the world will be in Raleigh. It will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center from February 19–22, 2026.
The event brings together quilters, artists, designers, and thinkers from across the globe, highlighting how quilting continues to evolve as both a craft and a contemporary art form, rooted in tradition while pushing boundaries around color, pattern, story, and process.
With so much quilting energy in town, we thought it was the perfect moment to give a nod to quiltmakers right here in our region.
Please join us in welcoming Caitlin Cary and Ginny Robinson to Streetframe.
Sidewalk Opening
February 6th
5:00 - 7:00
Corner of Hargett and Fayetteville in Downtown Raleigh
Flight
Flight is many things. It is the mechanical wonder of wings cutting through air, the quiet migration of birds across a pale sky, the terrifying freedom of leaving the ground behind. It is escape and arrival. It is the way light lifts off water at dusk, or the feeling of a thought becoming something larger than itself.
We are not looking for a single interpretation. We welcome the literal and the abstract, the grounded and the untethered. Whether your work depicts a sparrow mid-arc, an aerial landscape seen from above, or a purely formal exploration of weightlessness and momentum, if flight lives somewhere in it, we want to see it.
This exhibition is open to artists working in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, textile, mixed media, and beyond. We encourage submissions that challenge, expand, or quietly reimagine what it means to fly.
Artists
Marco Andro @marco_andro_carter
CJ Martin @cjmrtn
Erin Ives @s.erinives
Vincent Whitehurst @pedestrian_made
Julia Hoffman @michee.png
Anne Willson @annewillsonart
Victoria Mercado-Lues @victoriamercadolues
Kelly Hutzel @kellyhutzelwatercolors
Michee Zodulua @michee.png
Garrett Love @garrett.love.art
Benny Copel
Kristen Bitar @kristenbitar
Shelby Scattergood @shelbyscattergood
matthew wilson @bunnylever
Antonisha Gore @anrego
Trish Klenow @trishklenow
Meg Finn @megelizabethvintage
Gowri Savoor @gowrisavoor
Novi Lim @artbynovi
Dain Kim @dain_art
Mia Kaplan @miakaplanmakes
Ezra Izzet @Ezraisevilagain
Myles Brown @just_a_crazy_illustrator
Nida Zehra @dairah_e_zindagi
Joel Tesch @artbyjoeltesch
Angaea Cuna @gaeabound
Tessa Dahlmann @Tessadahlmann_art
Hailey Trasti @trasti_studios
Janet Danforth @janetdrawstheplanet
Calvin Ulrich @calvinulrich
Important Dates
Exhibition Dates: 05/17/26 - 06/30/26
Opening Reception 05/17/26 1:00 - 4:00pm
Open Hours: 1 - 4 Saturday and Sunday
Becoming
Street Frame: Corner of Fayetteville and Hargett, Downtown Raleigh
This month in Raleigh, QuiltCon, the largest modern quilting event in the world will be in Raleigh. It will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center from February 19–22, 2026.
The event brings together quilters, artists, designers, and thinkers from across the globe, highlighting how quilting continues to evolve as both a craft and a contemporary art form, rooted in tradition while pushing boundaries around color, pattern, story, and process.
With so much quilting energy in town, we thought it was the perfect moment to give a nod to quiltmakers right here in our region.
Please join us in welcoming Caitlin Cary and Ginny Robinson to Streetframe.
Sidewalk Opening
February 6th
5:00 - 7:00
Corner of Hargett and Fayetteville in Downtown Raleigh
Contours
Contours
Birdland, 706 Mountford Ave., Raleigh, NC
In residence: Johnny Chapman & Marco Andro Carter
January 20th - February 27th
Contours is both an experimental exploration and a love letter to artistry. This piece, conveyed in chapters, tells the story of two companions moving through the transactional mundanity of capitalist labor systems by activating rigor, reconnection, and rest.
Using dance, music, spoken word, vocals, and muralism, we transform a bare canvas into a kinesthetic experience that explores the impact of artistic lineage, liberating movement, and the capacity of voice for initiation, reflection, and transition.
Extraterrestrial Encounters
Extraterrestrial Encounters
An Exhibition by Be Boggs and Slater Mapp
Do you believe, or know, that intelligent life exists outside of Earth?
In April 2025 the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) discovered what could be a collection of extraterrestrial artifacts in an abandoned warehouse in Raleigh, North Carolina.
These visitors seem to be obsessed with Earth and all its lifeforms. They learned how to use cameras and fibers to make interpretations of what they encountered. According to the experts, these beings seem to be creating art as a way to explain what Earth is to their home planet.
This collection is all the evidence we have of their existence.
We do not know why they came here, what they want, or if they are friends or foes.
Some may even appear to be familiar faces…people you know who have been here all along.
Come see this evolving exhibition of extraterrestrial art @birdlandraleigh and discover what belonging on Earth looks and sounds like through the outsiders lens.
Opening Night: December 5th, 6:00 - 9:00
706 Mountford Ave., Raleigh, NC 27603
Hours for Birdland this month:
12/6 Saturday: 12 - 4
12/7 Sunday: 12 - 5 (*with Boylan Art Walk)
Weekdays in December:
MWF: 3:30 - 6 (Slater)
TTH: 5 - 7 (Be)
Weekends in December:
12-3pm (Slater)
3-5pm (Be)
our interiors
our interiors, an exhibition by Caprice McNeill
Flowers remain Caprice McNeill’s vessels of expression, a visual language for examining the relationship between the inner self and its surroundings. In our interiors, she layers vintage floral fabrics and wallpaper with impressions from a month-long immersion in Italy, tracing how place quietly imprints our inner lives. Italy’s open fields, cultivated land, and distinctive colors resurfaced in patterned expanses, geometric planes, and a renewed palette upon her return home. The vintage fabrics and wallpapers extend this reflection, evoking transformation, atmosphere, and the intimate ways expression takes shape through material and memory. Each piece becomes a study of that reciprocity, how place and perception intertwine, and how interior and exterior worlds remain in constant dialogue.
Opening reception: Saturday, November 8, 5 - 7pm
Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11am - 4:30pm, November 11-22
Street Frame
Streetframe
an exhibition of Lee Nisbet & Renzo Ortega
Join us on Friday, November 7th as we celebrate VAE’s latest venture to bring more art and beauty to the streets of Raleigh, featuring the vibrant work of Lee Nisbet and Renzo Ortega.
All of this wouldn’t be possible without our community. Big thanks to Artsplosure for the walls, Empire Properties for the use of space, and to Thomas Sayre & Joan Ellen-Deck for sponsoring this project.
The event is from 6:00 - 7:00 pm and is accessibly located outside on the sidewalk at 200 Fayetteville St.
We hope to see you there!
Exhibition Runs through December of 2025
Echoes of Modernism
Birdland Gallery is pleased to present Echoes of Modernism, an exhibition that brings together the work of Amba Sayal-Bennett, Daniel Rich, Frances Lightbound, and Sam van Strien, four artists who examine how modernist architecture continues to shape our political, social, and economic lives. Whether considering the monumental scale of urban grids or the façades of corporate buildings, modernist architecture is far from neutral or placeless; they emerge instead as sites of memory, contestation, and lived experience. Through painting, printmaking, and drawing, these artists trace the ways we can engage with, document, and re-imagine the built environment, exposing both its utopian ambitions and its legacies.
Together, their work invites us to see how modernism’s material and symbolic forms are never static: they move, transform, and are reinterpreted across time, geography, and ideology. By interrogating architecture’s capacity to embody power, the exhibition positions modernism not as a closed historical chapter but as a living framework that continues to inform our contemporary experiences.
Opened, October 4th 3:00 - 6:0pm
Oct. 4th - October 25th, 2025
Strange Attractors
Strange Attractors
Martha Thorn and Mike Geary
Birdland | 706 Mountford Ave., Raleigh, NC 27601
The concept of strange attractors - enigmatic points in chaos theory where seemingly random paths converge into patterns of order - informs our exhibition. Though each of us works independently, presenting our paintings together in Strange Attractors creates an environment charged with potential connections. Our distinct visual vocabularies, shaped by unique histories and impulses, orbit common themes while maintaining their own identities.
Events
Opened: Saturday, September 6th, 3:00 - 6:00
Boylan Arts District Tour *VAE sponsored trolley
Sunday, September 28th, 2:00 - 5:00
Cara Smelter @ So & So Books
CARA SMELTER at So & So Books
February 1st, 2024 - April 26th, 2024
719 N. Person St, Raleigh NC, 27604
Artist Statement
My name is Cara Smelter and I tell short, non-fiction stories, with my linocuts. I am a trained scholar of African American History and a self-taught printmaker. My text driven linocuts are an intersection of my scholarship and creative pursuits enabling me to blend my love of language and the craft of story-telling, with the art of block printing. I would be remiss if I did not highlight that the titles of each print are of equal importance as the print itself. The titles are either in direct conversation with the linocut or provide critical context, narrative detail, and thick description that bring each piece to life.
My micro-narrative linocuts draw on my lived experience and allow the viewer to peer into my candid thoughts, feelings, struggles, and joys. My linocuts enable me to grapple with complicated emotions and the realities of my life. Some common themes in my work include: living in a disabled body; reflecting on my grief journey; and processing the impact of childhood abuse and neglect. I explore sexuality, love, death, trauma, addiction, compassion, and empathy in my life and often use my stories as vehicles to make social, cultural, and political commentary.
While my prints depict stories specific to my life, they feature characteristics of life and culture that appear across the narratives of others who have experienced similar struggles, joys, thoughts, and feelings. I endeavor to create linocuts that engages the viewer in what feels like an intimate conversation between friends - a conversation that brings levity to tough situations and lets the viewer know, I really fucking get it.
Biography
Cara Smelter is a child of the (long-leaf) pine. Cara's senior pug, WALL-E, is "Raleigh famous" and definitely has more followers than her on Instagram. Cara lives (unfamously) and hand-pulls prints in Raleigh, NC.
a sign from god
Linocut
9 x 12
2023
how are you feeling? really.
Linocut
9 x 12
2023
cara a. smelter lived
Linocut
9 x 12
2023
our love is dynamite
Linocut
9 x 12
2023
i love a good opossum
Linocut
4 x 4
2019
mantra
Linocut
5 x 7
2018
Exhibition Checklist + Pricing
a sign from god : $300
how are you feeling? really. : $300
cara a. smelter lived: $300
our love is dynamite : $300
i love a good opossum : $75
mantra : $150
to inquire about purchasing a piece please email Ant (they/them)!
Contemporary Muslim Art of North Carolina
CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM ART
From February - May 2024, VAE will be exhibiting the work of contemporary Muslim artists in an exhibition that will center, support, and uplift Muslim artists in the Triangle. Through VAE’s open source and collaborative working model we seek to create an exhibition that not only brings awareness to the historical circumstances related to Muslim identity, but also celebrates the rich and diverse identities of Muslim people.
February 16 - May 16 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, Feb 16, 6-9PM
AFTER/GLOW - NEW LIGHT + NEON
AFTER/GLOW - NEW LIGHT + NEON
December 2023 - January 2024
Opening Reception: December 1, 6-8PM
After/Glow presents works of light and neon art that merge craft and critique. The Triangle based artists manipulate light waves, particles, glass, and gas to create experiences that are nostalgic, yet they utilize new technologies and processes, pushing the boundaries of light as a medium.
ARTISTS
Bre King - Durham, NC
DJ Neon - Durham, NC
CJ Murphy - Raleigh, NC
Anna Payne Rogers Previtte - Raleigh, NC
Ty Van de Zande - Raleigh, NC
Jason Blyskal
ILLUMINATE ART WALK 2023 - For the month of December VAE Raleigh will be the home of Jason Blyskal’s stained glass installation “As Above, So Below.” The Illuminate Art Walk is a public art program put on by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance every December that features several works of art around the city that use light to create immersive installations for the public to enjoy.
Contemporary Muslim Art CFA
CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM ART OF NORTH CAROLINA
Call Closes: January 13, 11:59PM
Notification: late January
Exhibition: February - May, 2024
From February - April 2024, VAE will be exhibiting the work of contemporary Muslim artists in an exhibition that will center, support, and uplift Muslim artists in the Triangle and the larger South. Through VAE’s open source and collaborative working model we seek to create an exhibition that not only brings awareness to the historical circumstances related to Muslim identity, but also celebrates the rich and diverse identities of Muslim people.
A team of steering committee members and VAE staff will review the applications in late winter.
The call for art closes on Saturday, January 13th at 11:59PM. Artists will be notified in mid-January. If you have any questions or request accommodations, please email Ant (ant@vaeraleigh.org). Please do not reach out about the status of your application. Applications that are incomplete will not be reviewed.
At this time we are only seeking submissions for artists based in North Carolina.
STEERING COMMITTEE
Rakan DiarBakerli (he/him)
Rakan is currently working at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University after 10 years of teaching science in the classroom. He is passionate about cultural learning, exploration of the natural world, gaming, and visual storytelling. Any opportunity he finds disposable income, it goes straight to finding his next adventure in a land he has never been. He hopes to immerse himself in new cultures, languages, and food with people he has never met before!
Waad Husein (she/her)
Waad Husein is a Sudanese-American artist and designer. She enjoys experimenting with a variety of mediums such as photography, illustration and collage. Her work explores the visual rhythms of being a third culture kid, architecture and nostalgia. Waad is a co-founder of Tabadul Collective, an arts organizing group rooted in exploring identity and creativity.
Kulsum Tasnif (she/her)
Kulsum Tasnif is a mixed media artist who uses a wide range of techniques and approaches, much of which deal with social issues and the way they affect the Muslim-American community to which she belongs. Her current exhibit, “Backpacking Method,” is a multi-sensory public art project for Raleigh Stories (a public art project supported by Raleigh Arts) which celebrates diverse communities of Method Road by memorializing their legacies. In January 2023, Kulsum founded Artist Ummah, a non-profit cultural arts organization for the Triangle Muslim-American community and beyond. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for VAE Raleigh.
ENTRY INFORMATION
To use the online form to submit information about and images of your work, please review these instructions for naming your files.
All files should be named like so: FIRST INITIAIL LASTNAME#_TITLE.jpg, FIRST INITIAIL LASTNAME#_TITLE.jpg, etc. (e.g. JDoe1_Untitled)
Still images should be sent as jpegs should be at least 1000px at their widest dimension, not to exceed 2MB per image. 2D artists may submit one JPEG per entry. 3D artists may submit two JPEGS (one full shot and one detail) per entry. Follow the filename format for works as indicated above.
Video samples should be edited to no longer than 2-minute excerpts. It is strongly preferred that video & audio artists submit their work online through clips or URL addresses to online sharing formats like Vimeo, Youtube, or Dropbox. Videos submitted as uploaded files should be no larger than 10MB (as that is the largest file eligible for upload on our entry software). Video pieces will only be accepted for exhibition if they are captioned, either with open captioning, that is integrated into the video or closed captioning that can be turned on when needed. Read info about captioning videos on Youtube, with iMovie, or Quicktime! Please only submit video art or video documentation of an art piece that requires video to be fully experienced. Do not send video walk-throughs of static exhibitions or video slideshows.
Audio: Audio should be submitted as separate MP3 files. Each track should be no longer than 2 minutes. Follow the filename format for works as indicated above.
Web-based: Web-based work should be submitted as a URL listed in the work sample list. Please only submit web-based projects. A portfolio website that features audio/video art and still images will not be considered.
Eligibility
The call for art is open to any living artist based in North Carolina who identifies with the theme of Muslim Art. A maximum of 2 works of any medium, per artist may be submitted. Two- and three-dimensional entries will be accepted. Work must be original and completed in the last 5 years. VAE Raleigh reserves the right to exclude work due to size or special requirements. Entries must be hand-delivered to the gallery or mailed in a returnable container.
We will not exhibit or financially support work that co-opts the story of a community without representation from that community acting in a decision making role.
Accessibility
VAE’s gallery entrance, lobby, and exhibition space are all located on the ground floor with accessible paths of travel. The space has flexible seating and an accessible restroom. Our aim is to make entering our exhibitions accessible to everyone. If you need any additional information or accommodations in order to enter this exhibition please email Ant or call 919.828.7834 and leave a message.
Visit our accessibility page for more information.
Sales
VAE Raleigh will retain a commission of 30% for all works sold during the run of the exhibition. If a work is not for sale, please enter "NFS" in the "Price for Entry" field in the entry form. An insurance value is still required for artworks that are not for sale.
Liability
All entries will be handled with the utmost care and respect. VAE is not liable for artwork during transportation to or from the gallery but does carry a blanket inland marine policy that covers most fine artworks and craft items up to $5,000. VAE reserves the right to refuse coverage to artwork with inherent vices, high values, or that is deemed unstable.
Nick Osetek @ So & So Books
NICK OSETEK at SO & SO BOOKS
October 19, 2023 - January 3, 2024
So & So Books | 119 N Person Steet, Raleigh NC, 27604
The works on display are a selection of experimental, hand-printed artist proofs and monoprints made while studying advanced printmaking at Appalachian State. Traditionally, printmaking is known for repetition and duplication of a repeatable image, but through alternative techniques, monotype, or monoprinting; a one-off print can be produced that’s unique from a numbered edition. The selection features a variety of these techniques, as well as examples of hybridizing mediums into a single print, such as woodblock and photographic-intaglio or silkscreen and stone lithography. All prints displayed are attempts in pushing the bounds of the printmaking medium and are one of a kind, produced through alternative techniques, hybridization, and/or monoprinting.
Bio
Nick Osetek
Nick Osetek is an illustrator, printmaker, and tattooer currently working in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2016 from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina with a concentration in studio art and advanced printmaking. The 2 years following his degree, he taught woodshop foundations to incoming art students at Appalachian State, then completed a 6-month, sustainable printmaking internship at Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, Massachusetts.
Former helicopter mechanic and engineering technician, Osetek holds an appreciation for technique, process-involved mediums, and displays a meticulous sense of detail in his work. The subject of his visual work draws inspiration from organic and mechanical compositions, contained chaos with moments of serendipity, and the darker elements of the world that exists within and without us.
Where Are You Really From? : An Exhibition of First and Second Generation Artists
“Where Are You Really From?”
An Exhibition of First and Second-Generation Artists
August - November | Dock 1053
Opening Reception: August 18th, 6-8 PM
Going about daily life as a first or second-generation immigrant, one pesky little question tends to find its way in introductions and conversations: Where are you really from? No matter how isolating the question feels, we sigh, and answer politely. This seemingly casual and insignificant question manages to catch you off guard, bringing you to question your identity for a moment's time. Making yourself question: Where Am I Really From?
This exhibition was conceived to grasp hold of that eternal question and provide first and second generation artists with a platform to answer it wholeheartedly. Immigrants act as a backbone to America. It is vital to acknowledge the pathway of cultural unity and awareness that immigrants have created. This exhibition is meant to explore that; The way in which first-generation and second-generation immigrants navigate their way through new expectations, standards, and roles while also carrying their cultural uniqueness. “Where Are You Really From?” is to act as a conduit for first-generation and second-generation immigrants to share their personhood and development through art. Their art serves as a powerful testament to the intricate interplay between cultural heritage, personal narratives, and artistic innovation.
Drawing from their ancestral roots while navigating the complexities of their present reality, these talented artists craft works that resonate with a profound sense of belonging and self-discovery. Through vibrant paintings to brutal imagery, this exhibition weaves together a tapestry of diverse perspectives. It offers a glimpse into the struggles, triumphs, and enduring resilience of these artists' forebears, while also showcasing their own unique experiences and visions. Each brushstroke is a testament to the power of art as a bridge that connects the past and present, forging an unbreakable bond between generations and cultures. As you immerse yourself in "Where Are You Really From?" you are invited to explore the profound ways in which the rich legacy of first and second-generation immigrants continues to shape and inspire the vibrant world of contemporary art.
Contemporary Indigenous Artists of NC
Contemporary Indigenous Artists of North Carolina
June - August, 2023 | VAE Pop Up Space - 208 Fayetteville St, Unit 204
ARTISTS
Jessica Clark
Xavier Davis
Marcus Dunn
Miriam Ximil
STEERING COMMITTEE
Claire Alexandre
Dennis Redmoon Darkeem
In 2023 VAE will be launching a new initiative that will center Contemporary Indigenous American Artists. Through our open source and collaborative working model we seek to create exhibitions and public programming that not only bring awareness to the historical circumstances related to Indigenous identity, but also celebrates the rich and diverse identities of Indigenous People.
Our Vision: In 2023 we will be launching the first stage of this initiative. The first project will be a group exhibition curated from an open call for art. The call for art will be open to any Indigenous artist living in North Carolina. This exhibition will feature a suite of programs that compliment the exhibition, as well as highlight the cultural importance of North Carolina’s Indigenous population.
In 2024 it is our hope to bring a cross-institutional, city-wide focus to Indigenous art through exhibitions, public programming, and a correlating publication. In 2024 we plan to expand our scope to include a more wide reaching call-for-art and installation proposals accepted from artists across the country.
EXHIBITION STATEMENT
Each of the artists featured in the exhibition speak to different facets of Indigenous culture that are a part of a much larger narrative about Indigeneity in a contemporary context. Among these themes the importance of preserving culture, familial/ancestral connections, and storytelling are at the core of all of these works.
Jessica Clark’s works from her series Lumbee Family Values reflect scenes of everyday Lumbee life. Her representations of daily life are both a study in survival in the face of adversity and about the importance of retaining cultural identity. For Clark, the process of creating these works is a meditation on narrative and a celebration of, “the vitality of contemporary Native culture and identity, creating monuments to a people who have persevered in the face of oppression and appeal of assimilation.”
Xavier Davis’ work considers Indigenous histories and futures that merge into kaleidoscopic tableaus. These works are influenced by historical moments in the long history of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the circumstances surrounding the colonization of stolen Indigenous land, and the Cherokee resistance to give up their land.
Miriam Ximil’s Where This Flower Blooms looks at the importance of ancestral knowledge and the vital practice of connecting to one’s roots and to the Earth to become closer to our true selves. This way of knowing informs a way of belonging that puts emphasis on the relationship elders play in preserving Indigenous histories and narratives for future generations.
Marcus Dunn’s work looks at historical reference and assimilation, using these as a means of reconstructing historical narratives. Dunn uses both photographic records and imagined scenes to create portraits that “investigate the physical and psychological effects of cultural removal” in the contexts of Indigenous residential boarding schools. These schools were meant to eradicate Indigenous culture and practices through assimilation. Dunn’s work contemplates the complexity of these narratives and how they impact the present.
Sehrish Kahn @ So & So Books
Sehrish Kahn at So & So Books
719 N. Person St
Raleigh NC, 27604
April - June, 2023
Artist Statement
Sehrish Khan is a Pakistani artist based in North Carolina. Her work offers a blend of different colors, techniques, ideas and patterns, which is why she abstains from limiting herself to a single genre. Her work illustrates the amalgamation of enriched cultures and experiences. Her vision has been constantly shifting, which allows her to portray reality in that moment of time.
Sehrish finds herself ever-evolving in the world of art and illustration.
In Your Love
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions 12"x16"
Price: $800
Everything is your sign. When drowned in your love, there is no need to be scared by the waves of the world!
Homesick
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 1.5'x2'
Price: $1200
Lahore was a different world in its own; the busy life, the rich history, the colorful culture, and the unfamiliar faces!!!
Cold Icy Stare
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 3'x3'
Price: $1500
To the women who don't shy away from looking at the difficulties of life eye to eye. These are the women who have the power of changing perspectives; their eyes control the movements of emotions that surround them. These are the women who behold a cold icy stare.
Bare Hands and Gentle Thoughts
Dimensions: 3'x4'
Medium: oil on canvas
Price: $1200
She is a protector, a mother, a wife, but above all, she is a woman who falls in love with her work every day. Her bare hands and calloused fingers pay the price of not giving up. She is a woman of timelessness, never stopping to breathe and working constantly.
Exhibition Checklist + Pricing
In Your Love: $800
Homesick: $1,200
Cold Icy Stare: $1,500
Bare Hands and Gentle Thoughts: $1,200
to inquire about purchasing a piece please email Ant (they/them)!