Space, Please
In her figurative paintings, Katie Murphy draws from subjects in her personal life to explore exterior and interior space.
ON VIEW on May 13th, 2021
6:00pm Artist Talk on Instagram LIVE (WATCH REPLAY)
6:30pm Opening on Facebook LIVE (WATCH REPLAY)
Works available for purchase 5/13 - 5/20.
Local food feature:
The Packalachian
Abingdon, VA
photos courtesy of The Pakalachian
The Pakalachian is a food truck based out of Abingdon, Virginia, that strives to creatively blend the culinary elements of both Southwest Virginia and South Asia to produce unique, vibrant dishes that benefit local Appalachia. Owned and operated by Mohsin and Katlin Kazmi, this food truck is anything but ordinary. Each dish is curated to combine the comforting elements of the foods Katlin and Mohsin grew up with as kids.
With menu items like Tikka My Senses, Curry Me Down South, Garden Rajma, and Fried Green Tomato Pakoras, their food is a perfect blend of Pakistani + Appalachian.
More information available via their website, and you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Space, Please
original paintings by Katie Murphy
exhibition view & details
ARTIST STATEMENT
The figure is a consistent source of inspiration for me. Figurative work especially allows for the possibility of empathy, recalling each viewer to the unifying experience of being human. Through representing women, I explore ideas of identity, loss and reclamation, motherhood, loneliness, and isolation. These stories and ideas often come from my own experiences. Personal photos of myself, friends, or family members are generally the reference images that I use for my work, which ground it in specific history while still alluding to a larger narrative.
The figures I represent are in various states of coming into or out of acceptance of their ability to affect the world in which they live. My pieces consider the different spaces that women are given (or not) to exist in and whether the current container is appropriate. Representation and abstraction both play an integral role in my work and I enjoy the push and pull of gestural energy coupled with slow precision. Through their honesty and struggle, I assert that these women are connecting to their personal power and growth.
—Katie Murphy
