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OPENING RECEPTION:

FRI 4/18: 6:00p - 10:00p

NELSON GARCIA

Handle With Care brings together three incredible artists from the Southeast to showcase a beautiful conversation of self-discovery. Of figuring out how to navigate sexuality both inwardly and outwardly. Bending what people expect from the queer community into the reality of what queerness can really encompass.

James Wine, a Painter from Charleston, SC: James Wine is a queer, ace visual artist from Charleston, SC who works in both collage and painting. His work explores themes of identity through a combination of representational imagery, abstracted form, and dense compositions. Drawing inspiration from meanders in nature, his personal experiences as an ace individual, and his love for anime, Wine’s art weaves together organic patterns, intricate forms, and vibrant colors. His collages and paintings balance introspection with universal themes, creating emotionally resonant pieces that reflect both his personal journey and broader reflections on the self. With a focus on visual storytelling, Wine’s work offers a unique, visually packed exploration of connection and identity, captured through the lens of his diverse influences.

Savannah Strickroth, a ceramicist from Charleston, SC: Savannah works primarily with slab and coil built forms which she illustrates on to create a blend between her ceramic and painting practice. Her focus is on the connection between women and their togetherness through grief, motherhood, girlhood, and friendship.

Nelson Garcia, a painter from Orlando, FL: I adore masculinity. When masculinity is playful and lighthearted, it generates warmth. When allowed to be silly or even self-aware, it is free. My artwork explores the intersectionality between masculinity and queerness, the stereotypes they both occupy and how they inform each other. Queerness, to me, is a powerful tool for liberating masculinity. To see that masculinity as an idea, rather than a set of rules to conform.