Opening Reception: June 7, 6 – 8 pm
 

Octavia Art Gallery is pleased to present MatriARTchy featuring works by Ryoko Endo, Heidi Jung, Naomie Kremer, Erica Larkin Gaudet, and Leslie Wilkes.
 

MatriARTchy showcases the work of five women artists whose practices highlight the beauty, complexity, and strength of feminine perspectives. Through a range of mediums—including painting, sculpture, and mixed media—the artists explore themes connected to nature, heritage, color relationships, and perception of space and time. The exhibition’s title, a playful twist on the word “matriarchy,” reflects a shared spirit rooted in creativity. MatriARTchy offers a thoughtful and visually rich experience, inviting viewers to engage with the many ways femininity can be expressed and celebrated through contemporary art.
 

Artist Biographies
 

Ryoko Endo initially studied the art of traditional Sumi ink calligraphy, then later developed a more fluid method of brushwork. This is a common technique in contemporary calligraphy, yet rarely applied to the discipline of acrylic painting, which gives her work a unique energy. Endo was born into a traditional family in Fukushima, Japan and has resided in New York since 1994. She studied at Musashino Art University in Tokyo and then furthered her studies in painting at the Art Students League, NY. Select exhibitions include Upsilon Gallery, NY; ChaShaMa, NY; Arts Students League (and their satellite venues), NY; Octavia Art Gallery, LA & TX; as well as the Hamptons Fine Art Fair, NY; Art Wynwood, FL; and Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, FL.
 

Heidi Jung brings an authentic approach to drawing, through draughtsmanship and technique acquired over the years in both college and career. The ethereal effects she achieves with inks, charcoal, erasure and grattage might remind the viewer of the spontaneity of darkroom photography. These hand-rendered effects are achieved by way of similarly unpredictable processes, and this 'darkroom-aesthetic' is readily seen throughout the textures and markings of her compositions. Jung was born in Denver, Colorado, and studied at Metro State University, CO. Select solo exhibitions include the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, and the William Havu Gallery in Colorado.

Naomie Kremer’s abstract compositions explore concepts of space and time, including such contemporary concerns as cyberspace and virtual time. Her lush, energetic oil-on-canvas works capture the essence of how we perceive the world around us. She achieves this effect through elaborate, all-over compositions rather than through direct representational references. Kremer has exhibited widely in the US and abroad. Her work is in many private and public collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Berkeley Art Museum, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and the US Embassy, Beijing, China.

Erica Larkin Gaudet creates abstract mixed metal sculptural forms. After receiving her B.A. in Sculpture from Loyola University in 1991 Larkin Gaudet founded her metal sculpting studio specializing in large scale sculpture and custom furniture. She has been welding and fabricating sculptural work for both private and public clients for over 30 years and her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and public art spaces, such as The Sculpture for New Orleans/Poydras Corridor Public Art, The Joan Mitchell Foundation Public Art, Louisiana Presbytere Museum, Downtown St. Joseph (MO), SculptureWalk, Scope Basel, Switzerland, Hibernian Sculpture Park, Walter Anderson Museum of Art.
 

Leslie Wilkes is a painter known for her refined approach to geometric abstraction. Beginning with gouache studies, her process emphasizes the subtleties of paint and surface. She softens hard-edge forms through careful brushwork, layering shapes and backgrounds simultaneously to create flat, luminous surfaces with nearly invisible lines. Her compositions are based on hand-drawn repeat patterns, created without digital tools or masking, which lends a visual softness and internal glow. Wilkes is based in Marfa, Texas. She holds a BA from the University of Texas and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited widely in cities including Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Marfa, and Milan. Her work has appeared in New American Paintings, on the cover of James Elkins’ The Object Stares Back, and in Glasstire's Glass Houses. She attended the Skowhegan School and received the Milton and Sally Avery Fellowship at the MacDowell Colony.