Exhibitions 2019: Raquel Paiewonsky: InsideOut

September 20 – October 28, 2019

Reception: Thursday, AHA! Night, Oct 10, 6-9 pm, Artist Talk 6.30 pm


UMass Dartmouth University Art Gallery in Downtown New Bedford has the pleasure to invite you to the solo exhibition, InsideOut, featuring the work by Dominican artist Raquel Paiewonsky from September 20 through October 28. The opening reception and artist talk are on Thursday, October 10 (AHA! Night).

As an artist, Raquel Paiewonsky is both bold and subtle. She wraps the edges of heavy bricks in patterned fabric, softening the impact of the wall, perceived as a “male” element. Connections, community, softness, all seen as female attributes are a part of her work, while the “Muro” tells a story about gender imbalance within society or within ourselves. This soft sculpture/installation that has its own space at the University Art Gallery, consists of 2000 hand-embroidered breasts of different skintones. It is the super-mother of all mothers, the feminine wit, a critical commentary towards a society that she describes as driven by economic need and greed. Raquel is also questioning stereotypes and expectations in her photography. Her images are surprising, imaginative, personal, playful, as well as thoughtful. A tall dress made out of cleaning rags monumentalizes the woman, the cleaner, so often overlooked. Her video Isopolis invites viewers for an unexpected journey to sand dunes and a beach, following a group of performers telling a story of inclusion and conventions, full of symbolism without words. Even though Paiewonsky draws from her experience as an artist in the Dominican Republic, her message rings loud and clear to a perceptive visitor of any origin, race, or gender. We invite you to immerse yourself in the magic world of InsideOut - to experience, to question, to feel Paiewonsky’s (and now also your) imaginary world.

Raquel Paiewonsky (b. 1969, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) is one of the most important contemporary artists of her generation in the Carribean. She works across a range of media, including installation, sculpture, video, painting and photography, exploring issues concerning gender politics, femininity, relationships, maternity, and ecology, among others. She has been widely exhibited in the Dominican Republic and the United States, as well as in France, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba (Havana Biennial), and Ecuador (Cuenca Biennial). Paiewonsky has also presented her work at the 53rd and 55th Venice Biennale in the Latin American Pavilion. 

Sincere thanks to the artist as well as to Yellow Peril Gallery and Vanphouthon Souvannasane and Sam Iliev for making this exhibition possible.