Forster Art Complex, Dennis Gallery: April 21 - 25, 2025

Alone, Together

     My journey as an artist began without formal training, led instead by curiosity and emotion. Over time, my practice expanded from oil painting into sculpture, especially busts, which I began exploring more deeply while studying at Austin College. No matter the medium, my focus has remained the same: women.

      I return to the subject matter of women again and again in my work--not only because I am one, but because their presence feels familiar and layered, like echo and reflection. Each subject becomes a vessel--part self-portrait, part mirror--inviting viewers to find pieces of themselves within the rawness and vulnerability I try to convey. My work lives in that intersection between personal narrative and collective feeling.

      Often set against stark black backgrounds, my subjects exist in solitude--a visual pause, a quiet space that makes room for intimacy. Each figure is rendered with careful attention to facial expressions and body language; all of which speak volumes without saying a word. I blend realism with dreamlike elements to explore themes that are hard to pin down but deeply felt: loneliness, mania, existential doubt, femininity, sexuality. These are the things we all carry, even when we don't speak them aloud.

      More than anything, my intention is for my work to create connections. Not through explanation, but through emotion. If someone pauses in front of a piece and feels less alone in their own story, then the work has done its job.

- Sarah Putnicki

Sarah Putnicki
Castaway
24 x 36 inch

Sarah Putnicki
Brooklyn
Ceramic Bust

Sarah Putnicki
Watching From Duomo
14 x 18 inch

Sarah Putnicki
Farewell
36 x 48 inch

Sarah Putnicki
Little Buddy
20 x 24 inch

Sarah Putnicki
Clench
30 x 40 inch

portrait bust and sculpture of forearm and hand

Sarah Putnicki
Self
Ceramic Bust

Sarah Putnicki
Charlotte
20 x 20 inch

Define African Art?

     A question I ask you: Define African Art?

     The common narrative speaks of masks and bold colors, carvings and woven patterns. But African art is more than that, it carries my culture, not as a stereotype. My art does not seek to explain, it exists to express. It challenges the idea that African art is monolithic. It can be quiet, modern, layered, and deeply personal.

     Each material I choose carries weight. Grout and plaster, with iron oxide and graphite, create contrasts that mirror the way I feel about where I come from, where I am proud of its richness, yet pained by its corruption. These textures do not serve beauty alone. They speak of a story that is often heavy, uncomfortable, and real!

     Ankara fabric was utilized due to its bursts with color, life, and familiarity, yet beneath the surface, it carries layered meaning of joy, of ceremony, of inheritance. Within minimalist forms, it recalls celebration of fabrics, an important part of my culture.

     One of the most emotional elements of my work is the latex with fragments of Nsibidi, an ancient system of symbols nearly lost to time. These symbols lived on my grandmother’s wrist. They represent a fading ancient language and fractured history, but also the deep love I hold for what came before me. Through this, my art becomes preservation. It is not about keeping tradition in some way. It is about keeping it alive.

     Most importantly, cowries. All of my pieces carry this piece of history. Cowries are beautiful and delicate, often used to adorn and decorate. But they also carry a heavier story. After trade and barter, cowries became one of the first forms of money in many parts of Africa. They hold the memory of exchange, value, and survival.

     Thank you for seeing the work. And for seeing me. I am still shaping my voice, but every piece brings me closer to it. It is my culture and my past, reimagined through a minimalist lens!

- Kido Amaegbo

Danielle Amaegbo
Cowries: The Need for Wealth
22 x 28 inches

Danielle Amaegbo
N'i bu ohu
39 x 30 inches

Danielle Amaegbo
Ankara Depth
36 x 24 inches

Danielle Amaegbo
Breathless
8 x 22 inches

Danielle Amaegbo
Engraved in Us
30 x 30 inches

closer photo of stretched leather and flashlight

Danielle Amaegbo
Engraved in Us (detail)
30 x 30 inches

detail of symbols lit by flashlight, glowing blue

Danielle Amaegbo
Engraved in Us (detail)
30 x 30 inches

Mud Around the World

     Ever wish you could take your vacation home with you? The beautiful scenery, calm ambience, and sweet smell of the air. You then fill your suitcase with all these gifts and collectibles to bring home a piece of that feeling. I wanted not to recreate all the amazing places I have visited, but something that resembles each place and the feeling I held in every place.

     From the texture, the shape, the color, and the dimensions; each resemble a significant feature of all the places I have lived and visited before. The glazes of each piece resemble the vibrant colors of the places I’ve been, most highlighting the colors of the greenery, ocean, and sky. My engraved vases resemble the beautiful scenery and ambience of these places, bringing back the feeling I had when I traveled. Some artistic designs and techniques were derived from the art I found at these places. Argentina’s street ceramists inspired me to just create pieces and enjoy the process. With their colors and unique designs, I found myself wanting to resemble the stoneware. I did such with my own twist, instead of painting my designs on, I decided to engrave my pieces to add texture. Some of my vases have unique dimensions to resemble certain landscapes, like mountains or the waves of the ocean.

     I hope to have created the same feelings of the places I have been to in my work, and have the ambiance take us away from where we are physically to each of these places. My pieces are meant to resemble a calm and warm ambiance, like these places have for me. This collection consists of a variety of vases representing different aspects of Argentina, New York, Colorado, Puerto Rico, California, and Florida, as well as a dinnerware set that incorporates the culture and art of these places. I hope this exhibit can transport you across regions and radiate the warmth of a long vacation day.

Thank you for coming to my show!

- Delia Martinez