Kimera Wachna, “Light and Shadow”
August 20th – September 18th, 2022
Haven Gallery is honored to present Washington based artist Kimera Wachna, for her second solo exhibition, “Light and Shadow” at the gallery. “Light and Shadow” features twelve acrylic paintings that capture mystical scenes of animal mischief, magic and meanderings within the landscape. Ethereal palettes combine pastel and earth tones with empyrean beams of light, setting an otherworldly tone manifesting fairytale-esque moods and narratives. Animals and fungi appear at gargantuan scales, in spirit and temporal forms, exploring themes of transformation and rebirth. Wachna’s paintings are nostalgic and enchanting, offering imaginative moments that chronicle universal tenets and motifs, in marvelous manners, ultimately reminding us to see the magic and grace in all that was, is and will be. ABOUT Artist Kimera Wachna started working under the name Gracemere Woods as an homage to her childhood in New York, where she was raised near a forest “full of dark magical nooks, streams of sparkling light through the trees, hidden burrows in plain sight,” and, of course, all manner of wildlife. To this day, this enchanted place is her biggest inspiration. “The creatures and realms in my work depict a semblance of childlike wonder and storytelling,” she says, “juxtaposed with deeper and often darker themes of life, death, and rebirth.” The canvases she most often chooses to paint on are pieces of discarded wood, as well as wood foraged from free fallen branches. Using them is her way of “continuing the life cycle of age-old trees,” she says. “A revival of sorts.” Though she’s most drawn to owls, all beasts are magical to Wachna. They “remind us of how to connect back to ourselves, the parts that are hidden or long forgotten,” she explains. And the forest and its creatures continue to provide an endless source of magic and inspiration. “There are stories at every corner,” she says, “wanting, waiting to be told.”
