Mareiwa Miller
September 14 – December 14, 2024
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 14 | 5 to 8pm
An exhibition of sculptural purses by Mareiwa Miller in /room/, juried by Lian Ladia and Lisa Rybovich Crallé.
List of Works | Bags, Bags, Bags | Annie Albagli and Mareiwa Miller in Conversation
Still[s] is an exhibition of sculptural purses by Mareiwa Miller that investigates the objects’ ritualistic presence in our daily lives. By embracing the purse as both a utilitarian feminine product and a symbolic emblem, Miller creates a conversation across gender dynamics, storytelling, identity, and ritual practices.
The purse is filled with cherished mementos that contain concealed stories and other unique pieces of information about its owner. These special treasures, hidden from the world unless explicitly shared, are intimate extensions of one’s identity that imbue the purse with a sense of ritual. Miller channels these personal and divine narratives by creating her purses from found negatives, stained glass, and ceramics. The colorful stained glass and ceramics channel the building blocks of churches that reveal or obscure the elements contained within, while the negatives create a sense of mystery and nostalgia via their ghost-like quality. With this context, the purses in Still[s] act as miniature cathedrals that invite viewers to peer into another world and reflect on the intricate interplay of memory, storytelling, and societal norms embedded within these seemingly ordinary objects.
Mareiwa Miller (b. 1994, Santa Marta, Colombia) is a sculptor and visual artist working in San Francisco. Their work delves into their multiracial roots, intertwining narratives spanning their Wayuu, White-Black, and Jewish heritage. Through sculpture and installation, Miller excavates and revisits the stories embedded in the fabric of each of these cultures. Using metal, glass, and ceramics, Miller reshapes these threads, crafting a reimagined narrative that merges mediums and ancestral echoes to decode the past and reimagine the present. Simultaneously, Miller’s work probes the expanded essence of “sacred,” drawing from diverse interpretations including daily rituals, religious beliefs, nature, and societal structures.
Still[s] is generously supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.