On a brisk night in Worcester, Massachusetts, artist Beatriz Whitehill and I trekked to see “Sneha Shrestha: Ritual and Devotion” at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross. The exhibition is the first institutional solo presentation by the artist who is best known for her large- scale murals and street art under the alias IMAGINE. With the rush hour traffic, it felt like there was a pressing. My mother always said, “There’s a blessing, in the pressing,” which meant that spiritual resistance meant that you are about to experience the dose of exactly what you need. Many things almost kept us away, but we knew they were merely distractions from getting what we needed through art. A beacon on Holy Cross’s campus, Shrestha’s mural called out to us from behind the glass like a pink horizon. There’s a reason that she’s dubbed the “Nepali Sanskrit … [Read more...] about IMAGINE’S ODE TO FAMILY: THE RITUAL AND DEVOTION OF SNEHA SHRESTHA AT HOLY CROSS

Global migration patterns are covered daily in the news due to the political and social conflict that arises when people from “elsewhere” attempt to move due to war, effects of climate change, religious persecution, cultural intolerance, colonialism, gender inequality or poverty, then resettle in a new place to experience personal safety and freedom. Over the last several years, migration has become ever more fraught with tension between those who support humanitarian efforts and those who view these people on the move as invaders. Artists, museums and galleries provide an opportunity for audiences to experience through artists’ expression the myriad psychological and social manifestations that evidence the internal struggles of people on the move. Beyond these struggles, these contemporary artists reimagine the personal meaning of migration of generations before them and the lasting … [Read more...] about NO PLACE LIKE HOME: DISPLACED ARTISTS TRY TO CONNECT IN BURLINGTON SHOW

The “Skyward Bound” and “Revival: A Spiritual Journey” solo exhibitions at the Ely Center of Contemporary Art bring two Guyanese, New England-based artists sharing personal experiences and reflections on cultural identity. “Skyward Bound” marks Marlon Forrester’s reentry into the New Haven art scene with a profoundly engaging body of work that defies conventional boundaries of color, shape and form. Originating from Guyana and based in Boston, Forrester boasts an academic background that includes a B.A. from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2008 and an M.F.A. from Yale School of Art in 2010. Following a transformative period at Yale, Forrester emerged as a pivotal figure within a cohort of artists who challenged institutional norms. His commitment to fostering diversity and critical complexity has propelled him, alongside fellow students, to navigate the historically … [Read more...] about GUYANA-BORN, NEW ENGLAND STRONG: FORRESTER & CROMWELL ELEVATE NEW HAVEN’S ELY CENTER

The show title, “Duty-Free Paradise,” offers a glimpse of content through wordplay, punning to self-describe this solo exhibition by Lani Asunción at the Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA), that continues through April 13. Achieving a great exhibition layout is a subtle thing. “Duty-Free Paradise” benefits from being presented in kunsthalle-style, which involves clean, uncluttered placement so that complex ideas can emerge to reveal layers of meaning. In this case, there is a feeling of space, or breathing room, which benefits site-lines of association facilitating absorption of content. The scale of imagery in relation to the space is right. Credit for successful exhibition planning belongs to curator J.R. Uretsky and Asunción as cohorts on this project, a bristling term sometimes used now in the arts for working collaboratively. Visually, “Duty-Free Paradise” … [Read more...] about PARADISE BETRAYED?: LANI ASUNCIÓN’S ACTIVIST LOOK AT HAWAI’I RARELY SEEN