May/June 2027 in the Reception Gallery at 12 Vassar Street

Opening Reception: May 7, 2025 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Exhibition Title: Curtain Call

Exhibition Statement:

Curtain Call explores the performance of identity through the lens of womanhood, dance, and self-presentation. Drawing from my experience as a lifelong performer, the work examines the roles we rehearse and are expected to play both on stage and in everyday life. It considers performance not as an isolated act, but as a continuous condition of existence, one shaped by observation and the pressure to remain composed even in moments of uncertainty or vulnerability.

As a dancer, I was trained to perform with precision, discipline, and emotional control under the gaze of an audience. Over time, I began to recognize that this same dynamic extends far beyond the stage. Women are often expected to perform confidence when insecure, strength when exhausted, beauty when depleted, and composure when overwhelmed. The stage dissolves, but the audience remains. I spent my life on stage learning how to perform, only to realize the performance never ended.

I was inspired by the phrase “to be a woman is to perform.” This sentence has plagued my mind: seven words that resonate so profoundly and so clearly illustrate what women are confronted with by simply existing in our society. Women perform in all senses of the word, responding to the societal ideas of how we should be, act, and react. When we stray from these idealized versions, we are labeled as “crazy.”  This performance of a lifetime deeply impacts all women. Yet, as I continued reflecting on this idea, I realized performance extends beyond gender. To be human is, in many ways, to perform. We all navigate identities shaped by expectation, striving to balance authenticity with acceptance while searching for our place on the world's stage. In one way or another, we all pursue an idea of perfection.

This exhibition brings together painting, mixed media, poetry, and participatory installation to create an immersive environment that reflects these layered experiences. Figures, gestures, and symbolic theatrical elements, such as curtains, mirrors, masks, and stage lighting become visual metaphors.

Curtain Call unfolds as a theatrical journey. One gallery wall represents Act I, the opposite wall Act II, with an Intermission occupying the space between. Visitors move through the exhibition as though progressing through a performance, experiencing moments of spectacle, reflection, and transition. Interactive installations invite viewers to step into the dual role of audience and performer. Mirrors confront them with their own presence within the work, while a collective writing installation poses questions such as, "What role do you play in your life?" inviting personal reflection and shared participation.

Poetic works throughout the exhibition are presented as script excerpts, monologues, stage directions, and fragmented dialogue. Together, these elements transform the gallery into a space that feels simultaneously like a stage and a backstage dressing room.

At its core, Curtain Call asks what remains when the performance finally ends. Who are we beyond the roles we inherit and the expectations we carry? What parts of ourselves exist outside of observation, and who might we become if no one were watching?