Strata Gallery’s second annual Small Works exhibition suggests Zeno’s Dichotomy Paradox was onto something—there’s an infinite amount of possibility in finite space. The juried exhibition brings together 44 works by 33 artists who excel at thinking small without diminishing their ideas.
When we think about artwork that moves us deeply, huge canvases and towering sculptures often come to mind. Yet some of the most profound artistic statements fit in the palm of your hand. Restriction can fuel invention. Plus, we’re naturally drawn to investigate small things, like we’re giants discovering a hidden world. That physical act of leaning in close can create weird, intimate moments with the artwork. You can’t casually glance at a miniature work of art—it demands your full attention.
“We had less overlap in what we liked than we expected, which is interesting,” Strata’s Board President David Olivant notes. “However, it did lead to having a very diverse group exhibition.”
Small Works includes pieces that sound like they shouldn’t work as a cohesive exhibit, but do. Take, for instance, Rachel Katz’s “Holding It Together,” a 7-inch cube incorporating 50 years of shredded personal journals intertwined with translucent hog gut. Yes, you read that right: Hog gut. Katz takes the concept of journaling, an act often brimming with cringe-worthy entries, and transforms it into something deeply compelling with her particularly visceral approach to autobiographical reconstruction.
Also in the show, Elizabeth Morisette’s “Compacted” performs a sort of domestic alchemy, fashioning sewn zippers into colorful sculpture. The piece plays tricks with your eyes, too, making you wonder what might unzip if you could just reach out and pull.
Meanwhile, Igor Shokoladov’s etchings demonstrate the power of precision. His works “Sleepwalker” and “Master” are barely larger than a credit card each, yet contain enough visual information to fascinate for hours. While one might describe his works as riddles or mysteries, the term “labyrinth” would be more accurate.
And there is so much more from there. Carla Lopez approaches the small format with raw emotional intensity. Her pen and ink piece on Yupo paper titled “Le Vide M’Est Apparu (I)” examines family absence through carefully controlled gestures; moving the ink with her hands, she conjures up familial specters and generational trauma. Her work hints at a kind of secular transubstantiation that might turn memory into matter.
Joel Murnan contributes two distinct pieces that explore physical space, landscape and personal connection through mixed media. His “Twist and Pull” manages to make paracord look elegant, which is no small feat, while “Stroll in the Park” incorporates unexpected materials like light bulbs and mandarin orange bags into a whimsical if somewhat alarming 16-inch figure.
Since its opening in 2021, Strata has operated as a non-profit, artist/member gallery that encourages experimental work without favoring any particular aesthetic doctrine. Gallery brass don’t play favorites with style, which explains how one show can include traditionally crafted etchings and sculptures made from old zippers.
The show’s variety stems from its three-person jury, each bringing different perspectives: Olivant as a mixed-media artist; Gallery Director Jennifer Van as a photographer; and Assistant Director Stephanie Jacinto as an art historian.
“It makes for more people to be able to get in, which is nice,” Olivant explains. “The other advantage is it’s easier for people to ship. In our previous small works show, we had entries from Germany, Italy, Colombia and the UK. I don’t think we’d have had those if it had been much bigger work.”
A former teacher of Indian miniature painting, Olivant brings a particularly informed perspective to the petite.
“It’s a more of an intimate experience,” he notes, presumably resisting the urge to quote William Blake about seeing the world in a grain of sand.
“I was attracted to works that were intricate,” Olivant muses, “but also had quite a lot going on in a narrative sense.”
The exhibition marks Strata’s penultimate show in its current space before a February migration to larger quarters. But don’t worry, the gallery’s future home, formerly Pop Art Gallery, is just around the corner and offers both higher ceilings and excellent street visibility. It’s a move Olivant and company are decidedly excited to make.
In an age frequently accused of gigantism and constant competition for attention via excess and spectacle, these artists have chosen to explore the micro rather than the macro. These small-scale pieces demand attention without shouting for it. The works ask us to consider scale as content rather than constraint. There’s something refreshing about work that asks us to lean in rather than stand back. Perhaps the best way to think big is to work small.
Small Works: Group Show
5 pm Friday, Jan. 10, Free
Strata Gallery, 125 Lincoln Ave Suite 105,
(505) 780-5403
