12 Dec 2019

Natasha Wright: Sista Chapel

SFA Projects

Reviewed by Audra Lambert

Nuanced variations of color guide the eye through Nathasha Wright's exhibition "Sista Chapel." Her large-scale works invite close inspection, with impasto and fluid brushstrokes combining to form a scaffold for viewers to navigate implied figures in the artist's compositions. Abstraction and figuration complement each other as the works slide along a scale of representation.

Names emerge from gestural brushstrokes, leading the viewer to wonder: Is each artwork a portrait? The artist hints at the possible significance of each figure, while the exhibition itself alludes to second wave feminism both conceptually and formally. Elaine de Kooning and Grace Hartigan permeate the spirit of the exhibit, while minuscule details in these mixed media works reveal the presence of sand and glitter. The power of Wright's exhibit emerges in each figure's ability to assert herself across the expanse of canvas on her own terms, exuding a potent blend of presence and personality.