Framed Gallery News | African American Art Gallery
EVENTS
PULSE IS HERE
UNTIL APRIL 15TH
OPEN BY APPOINTMENT OR FRIDAY & SATURDAY 1PM-5PM
There
are
exhibitions
that
hang
quietly
on
walls.
And
then
there
are
exhibitions
that
move.
Pulse
is
the
latter.
Our
newest
show
at
Framed
Gallery
features
contemporary
African
artists
whose
work
vibrates
with
rhythm,
pattern,
and
presence.
These
pieces
don’t
sit
still
—
they
activate
the
room.
Large-scale
compositions
layered
with
intricate
detail.
Figuration
emerging
through
dense,
coded
pattern.
Surfaces
that
feel
built,
not
simply
painted.
Pulse
isn’t
about
geography.
It’s
about
momentum.
Across
the
African
continent,
artists
are
shaping
global
visual
culture
in
real
time.
They
are
redefining
abstraction
and
figuration,
layering
history
with
futurity,
and
creating
work
that
feels
both
rooted
and
forward
at
once.
This
exhibition
brings
that
energy
directly
into
our
space
—
and
into
Cleveland.
The
result
is
powerful.
Pattern
becomes
language.
Color
becomes
tempo.
Surface
becomes
story.
These
works
ask
you
to
step
closer.
To
slow
down.
To
sit
with
complexity
instead
of
rushing
past
it.
They
carry
rhythm
—
not
loud,
not
chaotic
—
but
steady
and
undeniable.
Pulse
is
not
a
trend.
It’s
a
signal.
A
reminder
that
contemporary
African
artists
are
not
peripheral
to
the
art
world
conversation
—
they
are
shaping
it.
We
invite
you
to
experience
the
work
in
person.
Stand
in
front
of
it.
Let
it
unfold
at
its
own
pace.
Feel
the
pulse.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SHIFTING THE GAZE : A THREE-ACT VISUAL PLAY
An exhibition with Beatrice Lebreton
OPENing may 1st 6-9
ARTIST TALK MAY 2ND 2-3
Art
exhibitions
are
often
described
as
collections
of
works
placed
together
in
a
room.
But
sometimes
an
exhibition
becomes
something
else
entirely—something
closer
to
a
story
unfolding
in
chapters.
For
her
upcoming
exhibition
at
Framed
Gallery
this
May,
artist
Beatrice
Lebreton
has
approached
the
show
as
a
narrative
experience.
The
exhibition
is
titled
Shifting
the
Gaze:
A
3-Act
Play,
inviting
viewers
to
move
through
the
gallery
as
if
stepping
into
the
acts
of
a
visual
performance.
Instead
of
presenting
works
as
isolated
pieces,
Lebreton
organizes
the
exhibition
into
three
thematic
movements:
water,
rest,
and
childhood.
Each
act
represents
a
different
state
of
being—one
that
reflects
both
personal
and
collective
experience.
The
result
is
not
simply
an
exhibition
to
look
at,
but
a
journey
to
move
through.
Act I: We Rise — In the Water We Are Reborn
The
first
act
begins
with
water.
Across
cultures
and
histories,
water
has
long
symbolized
transformation,
cleansing,
and
renewal.
It
is
where
life
begins
and
where
change
often
takes
shape.
In
Lebreton’s
work,
water
becomes
more
than
a
setting—it
becomes
a
metaphor
for
emergence.
The
figures
within
this
series
appear
suspended
between
reflection
and
movement.
They
are
neither
fully
submerged
nor
entirely
above
the
surface.
Instead,
they
exist
in
that
moment
of
becoming—when
identity
begins
to
re-form
and
clarity
begins
to
appear.
Lebreton
invites
viewers
to
consider
water
as
a
space
of
rebirth.
It
is
where
stories
begin
again.
It
is
where
the
past
dissolves
just
enough
to
allow
the
future
to
surface.
This
opening
act
establishes
the
emotional
rhythm
of
the
exhibition:
a
sense
of
rising,
of
possibility,
of
transformation
just
beginning.
Act II: We Rest — In the Stillness We Dream
If
water
represents
emergence,
the
second
act
turns
toward
stillness.
The
Sleeping
Beauties
series
forms
the
heart
of
this
section
of
the
exhibition.
These
works
capture
figures
in
states
of
rest,
reflection,
and
quiet
interior
life.
Eyes
closed,
faces
softened,
the
subjects
appear
suspended
in
moments
of
peace.
But
rest,
here,
is
not
absence.
It
is
preparation.
Lebreton
treats
rest
as
a
powerful
act—an
essential
space
where
dreams
take
shape
and
imagination
unfolds.
In
a
world
that
often
demands
constant
motion,
these
works
remind
us
that
stillness
carries
its
own
strength.
In
the
stillness
we
dream.
The
figures
in
this
series
seem
to
hold
entire
worlds
behind
closed
eyes.
Their
quiet
presence
asks
the
viewer
to
slow
down
as
well.
To
pause
long
enough
to
notice
the
textures,
patterns,
and
layered
surfaces
that
surround
them.
The
second
act
becomes
a
kind
of
visual
breath—a
moment
to
gather
before
the
final
movement
of
the
story.
Act III: We Become — In Their Hands Tomorrow Takes Root
The
final
act
shifts
the
focus
forward.
In
the
Children
Series,
Lebreton
turns
her
attention
to
youth—not
as
symbols
of
innocence,
but
as
carriers
of
possibility.
The
children
depicted
in
these
works
hold
a
sense
of
calm
confidence,
their
gazes
steady
and
open.
They
are
not
waiting
for
the
future.
They
are
shaping
it.
The
phrase
“In
Their
Hands
Tomorrow
Takes
Root”
captures
the
spirit
of
this
final
act.
The
children
represent
the
continuation
of
story,
memory,
and
imagination.
What
began
with
water
and
reflection
now
extends
outward
into
growth.
Their
presence
brings
the
narrative
full
circle.
Rebirth
leads
to
rest.
Rest
leads
to
dreaming.
Dreaming
leads
to
becoming.
A Visual Journey
By
structuring
the
exhibition
as
a
three-act
play,
Lebreton
invites
viewers
to
move
through
the
gallery
with
intention.
Each
room
becomes
a
chapter,
each
work
a
moment
within
a
larger
unfolding
story.
The
gaze
shifts—from
emergence,
to
stillness,
to
possibility.
This
approach
reflects
a
deeper
truth
about
art
itself.
The
act
of
looking
is
never
fixed.
It
evolves
as
we
move,
as
we
pause,
as
we
allow
the
work
to
reveal
itself
over
time.
Shifting
the
gaze
means
recognizing
that
meaning
is
not
static.
It
grows
as
we
do.
Visitors
to
Framed
Gallery
this
May
will
not
simply
encounter
individual
artworks.
They
will
enter
a
narrative
space—one
that
moves
through
water,
dreams,
and
the
future
carried
forward
by
the
next
generation.
It
is,
in
every
sense,
a
visual
play.
And
the
audience
is
invited
to
step
inside
the
story.
PAST EVENTS
artist SHOWCASE: "wake me where I lay"
MEET THE ARTIST & VIEW THE LIMITED-TIME SHOWCASE
September 27th 6-9pm
About the Artist
Lauren
Pearce
is
a
self-taught
mixed
media
figurative
artist
raised
in
South
Florida
and
currently based in
Cleveland,
Ohio.
Her
work
is
a
vibrant
exploration
of
identity,
rooted
deeply
in
her
Jamaican
heritage
and
the
transformative
power
of
nature.
Drawing
inspiration
from
the
natural
world
and
her
personal
journey
of
“unmasking,”
Pearce
creates layered,
narrative-rich
pieces
that
invite
viewers
into
intimate,
imagined
worlds.
Each
work
is
a
meditation on
what
it
means
to
be
fully
oneself—vulnerable,
evolving,
and
connected
to
the
earth.
Nature
is
not
just
a
backdrop
in
her
art;
it
is
a
collaborator,
a
mirror,
and
a
guide.
With
intricate
detail
and
bold
composition,
Pearce’s
art
tells
stories
meant
to
transport.
Her
goal
is
for
each
piece
to
feel
like
a
journey—one
where
viewers
can
lose
themselves
in
the
textures,
symbols,
and
emotional
depth
of
her
work.