Central Florida art exhibits reflect on femininity, grief, nature

Central Florida’s contemporary art galleries are humming and buzzing with new exhibits that reflect on identity, femininity, grief and our natural world.

At Mills Gallery, abstract painter Kristy Lee presents a new show titled “Vulnerable and Raw: The Feminine Foundation” with an opening reception on Nov. 3.

Inside the Casselberry Sculpture House, “Common Threads” incorporates the work of three artists who explore grief and healing, sometimes provoking the viewer in unconventional ways. Meanwhile, Crealdé School of Art presents “Elemental Landscapes” with work from Womyn’s Alternative Photography Society International.

“Vulnerable and Raw: The Feminine Foundation”

Lee, an Orlando-based painter, looks at a blank canvas and finds an endless array of possibilities for processing her own emotions.

“Most of these paintings are things that come out of me and my feelings,” she said. “I don’t necessarily go to a canvas and sketch it out, it’s more about the emotion and what I’m feeling at the time when I create something.”

The artist’s new solo exhibition, which opens with a reception from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 3 at Mills Gallery, contemplates the masks that we wear and what we’re forced to hide or bury within ourselves.

“There’s so much in us that we want to bring out but we’re hiding, we don’t want people to know what’s really here. But we’re afraid that people are going to judge us,” Lee said. “I’m embracing my cracks and crevices and all of my imperfections.”

These works paint a deep exploration of identity, beauty standards and social norms before resolving on a high note of empowerment, liberation and self-fulfillment.

“If I wanted pretty, I would paint flowers and sunrises but I don’t do that. I paint emotion, which is powerful, strong and sometimes dark,” Lee said. “Believe in you, empower yourself and believe that you’re good enough. That’s what I’m trying to portray in this particular exhibition.”

If you go: “Vulnerable and Raw: The Feminine Foundation” opens from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 3 at 1650 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando. The exhibition is on view through Nov. 29 at Mills Gallery, which is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and by appointment on the weekends. More information: millsgalleryoforlando.com

“Common Threads”

Step inside Casselberry’s Sculpture House to experience the work of three multidisciplinary artists: Brittney Fucheck, Tim Reid and Marlenys Rojas-Reid, Tim’s late wife.

Situated around the home-turned-gallery space, see sculptures created in conjunction with nature, including Fucheck’s sculptures crafted with pine needles, sticks, flowers and bone fragments. In Reid’s installations, he deals with the death of his wife through multimedia experiences that reflect on grief and show the artist’s vulnerable side.

The work of Rojas-Reid is shown in a small room with a dresser that visitors are invited to sift through, almost as if handling a deceased loved one’s possessions.

In all of the work, the common thread proves to be the fragile tension of our lives and the reality that this life is temporary and fleeting.

If you go: The Sculpture House is open 9-4 p.m. Monday-Friday at 120 Quail Pond Circle in Casselberry. The exhibition is on display through Dec. 1 with an artist talk at 6 p.m. Nov. 10. More information: casselberry.org

“Elemental Landscapes”

Presented in partnership with the Analog Film Photography Association and curated by Jacob Rodriguez, this exhibit showcases a new perspective on photography, science and the natural world. This is the inaugural exhibition of the Womyn’s Alternative Photography Society International, a collective aiming to promote female and nonbinary artists.

Prints from Rachel Guardiola, Dale Rio, Sandra Davis and Melanie King delve into the human relationship to the wilderness, mortality, the night sky, forgotten beauty and the grandeur of nature.

If you go: “Elemental Landscapes” is on display through Jan. 20, 2024, in the Showalter Hughes Community Gallery, which is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 600 St. Andrews Blvd. in Winter Park. More information: crealde.org

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