UN-KNOWN PATHS
CHRISTY HENGST
OCTOBER 14 – NOVEMBER 13, 2022.
EXHIBITION HOURS: DAILY 11am-5pm EXCEPT MONDAYS
Chamisa Trail, Tight Turn.
Mixed media on wood panel, including charcoal, oil, encaustic,
and text from “Not Always So” by Shunryu Suzuki. 20″ x 16″. 2022.
Un-known Paths explores themes of pathways, stillness, and listening. Developing from decades of hiking the land around Santa Fe, many of the paintings cluster around specific paths (Sun Mountain, Aspen Vista, Chamisa Trail) or specific plants encountered along the way (yucca, mullein, piñon). Hengst gathers material and field research in the form of drawings, writing, and photography.
As much as this work is about specific places, it’s also about returning to a place of not-knowing, and building intimacy through renewed curiosity. A meditation cushion sits facing the painting in Hengst’s studio. When unsure what comes next, she sits and listens — as she says, it’s a conversation. In Un-known Paths, Hengst explores seeing and creating with a fresh eye.
In addition to the paintings, Un-Known Paths will host a new flock of porcelain birds that have been born as companions and counterpoint to the two-dimensional work. Related to the birds from ‘birds in the park’, these sculptural pieces carry cobalt imagery and text informed by the paintings.
The month-long exhibition will include a special events series of poetry readings, music presentations and improvisational movement. These exciting events will be open to the public, see the schedule below.
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