UNWRAPPING

Unwrapping

November 7 – 30

First Friday – Friday, November 7 5PM to 9PM

Reception & Artist Talk: Sunday, November 9  3:30PM – 5:30PM

“Unwrapping“ invites artists and audiences to reflect on the acts of revealing, discovering, and deconstructing meaning. During the holiday season, the image of the gift, wrapped, hidden, then unveiled, becomes a powerful metaphor not only for material exchange but for emotional, psychological, and even spiritual processes. This exhibition explores what lies beneath the surface, whether in physical form, personal identity, or cultural narrative.

Artists are encouraged to consider layers, literal or symbolic, as sites of transformation. What happens when we peel back what’s been concealed? What truths are revealed, and what is left behind in the process? From the tactile nature of materials to the storytelling embedded in memory and ritual, “Unwrapping” becomes a space for excavation and interpretation.

This theme is especially rich for any medium where form can mirror the action of revealing, concealing, or transforming.

Roland Barthes

This exhibition is inspired in part by Roland Barthes, the French literary theorist and philosopher, particularly his ideas in Mythologies and The Pleasure of the Text. Barthes was fascinated by the way meaning is constructed and deconstructed, how everyday signs (like gifts, rituals, or images) carry cultural myths, and how deeper truths can be “unwrapped” through close reading and interpretation. He believed that beneath any surface lies a coded message, and part of the joy, and challenge of experiencing art is uncovering what lies hidden beneath.

“What I enjoy in a narrative is not directly its content or even its structure, but rather all the jolts and shudders I get while unwrapping it.” Roland Barthes, The Pleasure of the Text (1973)

This quote captures the sensory, intellectual, and emotional experience of uncovering hidden meaning, whether in a story, an artwork, or a wrapped gift. It reflects how discovery itself becomes the source of meaning and engagement.