Traces: at Slate Contemporary
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•‿•Traces is a solo exhibition of new paintings by artist
Hannah Franco at Slate Contemporary Gallery.
SLATE Contemporary Gallery is pleased to announce representation of Oakland painter Hannah Franco. Hannah's work will be exhibited in a solo exhibition at SLATE's Oakland gallery on 25th Street, July 19-August 23.
TRACES is an exploration of where we place our attention and how that attention is valued. Descended from the visual narrative of women's craft and quilting, my visual language exposes the ways societal pressures change our forms and shape our lives over generations.
The shapes are constructed and combined, layer-by-layer, in an attempt to fit into a structure, and then broken down again to expose what is essential. This process mirrors the navigation of my dyslexic experience - constantly assembling meaning while finding alternative pathways when conventional systems fail to accommodate divergent ways of processing the world. The layers reveal the labor of adaptation, the quiet work of translating one's inner language into forms that society might recognize and value.
Every trace leaves a lasting mark on the work, regardless of its subtlety, just as every experience leaves a mark on our lives. The accumulated weight of being measured against standards that weren't designed for different minds or genders creates its own visual vocabulary. Past struggles with systems that demand conformity become present textures-some rough, some worn smooth by repetition, all bearing witness to the persistence required to make space for oneself.
Through the making and unmaking of these shapes I investigate which of the traces bind the forms, and which liberate them. The paintings ask: What happens when we stop trying to fit into prescribed structures and instead honor the intelligence of our own processes? In the breaking down and rebuilding, in the patient reworking of elements that refuse to behave as expected, lies both the evidence of our labor and the assertion of our inherent value.
In 2024 the artist collaborated with olfactory artist Carmen Rose King, to design a series of scents. The team is working together to create a new perfume that will be released during Hannah's exhibition at SLATE, and will pair with a specific painting in the show. SLATE will also host a ticketed Olfactory Portraiture Workshop with Carmen Rose Perfumery on Saturday August 9, 1lam-1pm.
Guest List
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