ART WALK OCTOBER 1, 2026 – 5-8PM

SECOND SATURDAY OPEN STUDIOS OCTOBER 10, 2026 – NOON-4PM

ART WALK SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 – 5-8PM

SECOND SATURDAY OPEN STUDIOS SEPTEMBER 12, 2026 – NOON-4PM

GUEST ARTIST: CARLOS VALENZUELA

ARTIST STATEMENT

Grounded in the belief that anything can be art, but not everything is art, Valenzuela’s work is driven by the need for criteria—structures that allow for exploration, explanation, symbiosis, and clarity. This qualification forms the conceptual foundation of a practice that investigates how meaning is assembled, stabilized, and challenged.

Two influences stand out prominently within Valenzuela’s body of work. The first is the lived experience of encountering multiple versions of what is ostensibly the same language. Speaking English across regions, accents, idioms, and cadences revealed moments of misalignment and misunderstanding that suggested not only the evolution and often including the creolization of language, but the instability of meaning itself. These encounters prompted an early reckoning with how systems we assume to be fixed are, in fact, fluid and contingent.

The second influence emerged through written language, particularly early exposure to local journalism/periodicals.  Initially perceived as a clear and authoritative source, closer reading revealed patterns of bias, omission, and editorial framing. This realization led to a broader inquiry into how information is constructed and how all news—regardless of source—carries embedded perspectives and agendas that shape interpretation.

Together, these influences continue to inform Valenzuela’s practice, which interrogates language, material, and structure as aggregates of fallible components. Through processes of fragmentation, reassembly, and material experimentation, the work explores how belief, authority, and meaning are built from unstable parts—and why, despite this instability, we persist in trusting the scaffolding.

STUDIO ARTISTS:

DAWN ENDEAN, ROSALIE FRANKEL, ZEYNEP BANU ALEV and STEPHANIE HARGRAVE

SOLO SHOW

ENCAUSTIC PAINTINGS and WORKS ON PAPER

July 8 – October 3, 2026

FINISTERE

1025 Lawrence Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Curated by Thya Merz

SIRACUSA SERIES 1-6, Acrylic on stretched canvas with collaged elements (photographs of Siracusa Sicily, pages from a French/English dictionary) with Charcoal, Pencil, Micron Pen, Silver Point.

SPECIFICIOCITY

Detroit Stockholm

Artist-Run Collective | Gallery | Studios

Roslagsgatan 21, 11355 Stockholm, Sweden

OPENING OCTOBER 15, 2026 at 5pm / ARTIST TALK OCTOBER 17, 2026 AT 1pm

SIMULTANEOCITY is a (non)word I’m using to signify the current state of things.  It sums up the feeling many of us have as we navigate the layered multitudes of contemporary life.  As an artist practicing in the US, the uptick in complexity over the past 8 or so years has been visceral.  Layers of difficulty that once posed a fun challenge now feel oppressive.  There doesn’t seem to be any separation between tasks anymore – it is all wars and politics on top of traffic on top of rushing to make ends meet on top of struggling to make time to make art with a large dose of uncertainty, whether in regard to the rapid rise of AI or the myriad details needing attention daily.  The world is getting faster and busier, but it is not getting any clearer, any easier, and it is certainly not getting any calmer.  It feels denser, and that feeling of density is longing for some breathing room.

This zeitgeist began seeping into my work just as I began using paper about a year ago (so I could transport the work here to Stockholm).  I found myself working additively and abandoning my preferred minimalism.   The pieces became layered collages with a long list of materials – matt-board, drawings, prints, ink on Yupo paper, coffee filters, book pages, paint, photographs, charcoal, pencil, graphite, walnut ink, thread, crayon, encaustic, micron pen, linen-paper, India ink, Silverpoint).  3D objects include clay, steel wire and crocheted embroidery thread.  

Despite the long list, each piece strives for balance.  Receded areas do not disappear completely so-as to keep the complexity; my attempt at both acknowledging and blatantly disregarding that which is hectic, overwhelming and chaotic.  

I will be configuring these smallish works in groupings as wall installations. Individually, I think of them as dense nuggets I’ve tried to reconcile.  Once in Sweden, I plan on utilizing the negative space of the walls to provide some air; to soothe what is agitated, to loosen that which is tight or dense.  

Each wall will become a mosaic of multitudes.  Using steel pins to attach both the collages and 3D elements, the layout of each wall will happen in real time during the install – my attempt at organizing the layered multitudes.

NOVEMBER: SHIFT GALLERY WINDOW

COURTESY OF CYNTHIA HIBBARD

I’ll be displaying an installation in the Shift Gallery window on S. Washington Street, Seattle – stay tuned!

Salon Machine Artist Archive Video:

Online Magazine Feature: THE NEW YORK OPTIMIST