Shared Secrets

Maximizing our large exhibition space by separating the three bodies of work into “mini solo shows” the viewer is encouraged to step inside the world of each artist’s distinct visual language. Colla’s muses remain mute, placid, calm and strong behind blue surgical masks while Torneros’s compositions “tickle the subconscious” exploding with color and textured layers. Her abstractions reveal vivid, evocative portraits capturing moments in time and her own likeness. Cunha Lay uses starkly contrasted, high-profile portraits, the subjects blinded by a swash of paint to elude a deeper psychological issue, trauma, or memory. Seduction and danger both exist peacefully, the conflict peeking out from behind saturated bands of painterly intention.

All three artists have spent large parts of their artistic careers in the Bay Area, and also comprise a global perspective. Mystery weaves its way through their portraits of the women featured in all the works, hinting at what secrets one might discover at Ian Ross Gallery.