ON VIEW FEBRUARY 25, 2022 – APRIL 24, 2022
In her first show at Wonder Gallery, Kansas City-based Mexican fiber artist Paulina Otero will bring a new architecturally-inspired collection of fiber and jewelry artworks, all revealing the artist's joy in exploring the effects of layering, transparency, pattern, color, and textural harmonies. From richly-toned tufted wall hangings to wearable art, we anticipate that it'll be a show to make you look, linger, and long to touch.
The artist states, “Looking Through is an exhibition inspired by the rhythm found in Mexican architectural patterns and use of raw materials. Elements such as brise-soleils, colonial metal lattice, and clay tiles are used in contemporary Mexican architecture as well as its history. The organization of light is another fundamental element used to preserve the beauty in spaces; While geometry provides a structure for breaking those experiences up.”
Otero continues, “Mexico is my home, but I live and work in the United States. I find myself constantly comparing the context that surrounds me to the one that raised me. When I think of home I think of rawness, color, and light–and with a variety of materials and colors like wood, stone, and metal. In Mexico, the asymmetries of a space–and the organization of its chaos–are often the very thing which makes it feel harmonious; Like a place to settle into comfort. In this way, Looking Through is a metaphor for home.”
Paulina Otero is a recent graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute and has exhibited her work at the St. Louis Art Guild, The Yeiser Art Center, and The Appalachian Center of Craft among others. She has also developed a jewelry brand that is currently sold through several local boutiques including The Kemper Museum.
Looking Through opens to the public on Final Friday, February 25th for a reception with the artist from 5-9pm. The exhibition remains on view through April 25. Wonder Gallery hours are Thursday–Sunday, 12-6pm.
Artist website: paulina-otero.com
Instagram: @paulina_otero_
