The RMG’s biannual series that features emerging local artists continues with the presentation of Andrea Carvalho, Shaun Downey, and Kate Wilhelm in Revealing Spaces. When examining three very different artists who on the surface share but a common geography, thematic connections begin to unveil themselves in surprising ways. In this case, the spaces depicted or created in all of their artworks reveal meaning.

Wilhelm’s portraits of Roller Derby girls are taken in the subjects’ private homes—revealing their domestic identity through their surroundings and possessions in sharp contrast to their Derby personas. Despite this push-pull of their private and public lives, within these photographs, the two exist harmoniously.

Downey’s locations in his paintings make the viewer want to know more—the spaces encourage questions and narrative. On the other hand, Carvalho’s sculptures seem to defy gravity, altering the viewer’s perception of space just by being in their presence. The sculptures are architecturally influenced and encourage a dialogue between viewer and the gallery space.

According to cultural theorist Michel de Certeau, as individuals traverse through spaces, they create personal itineraries that they instill with meaning. The artists have the viewers navigating various spaces that infuse meaning, whether about the artists themselves, the subjects, or through physical relationship to it.

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