Gallery  May 25, 2018  Chandra Noyes

Clare Rojas' Abstracted Storytelling at Kavi Gupta

Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Opening this month at Kavi Gupta in Chicago is a new exhibition of works from Mission School painter Clare Rojas. Egret includes a range of works, representative of Rojas’ diverse practice, which has encompassed printmaking, painting, murals, and sculpture. Included in this exhibition are 100 small abstract sketches in gouache, created by Rojas as part of her daily practice. There are also nine large oil paintings and several sculptural works. In the past, Rojas’ work reflected her interest in folk art and folklore. As Rojas’ work has steadily moved towards abstraction, she has maintained both her graphic style and interest in storytelling. 

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

As the exhibition title suggests, her forms are elegant, organic and evocative. Like her representative works, her abstracted forms still pop with color and character. The curves of her shapes are calligraphic, and on yellowed paper, they look like newspaper clippings in an unknown language. Her sculptural works take her two-dimensional shapes off of the page, making her paintings seems like portraits of the three-dimensional forms. In Egret, Rojas’ abstract works simmer with personality. Rojas is also a musician, and these works show how adept she is at less literal forms of communication.

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta
Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret at Kavi Gupta

Clare Rojas: Egret is at Kavi Gupta in Chicago through July 7th. For more information visit Kavi Gupta online.

About the Author

Chandra Noyes

Chandra Noyes is the former Managing Editor for Art & Object.

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