Lauren Napolitano

This piece of original artwork is ready to hang.

Inner State Gallery is proud to announce Alchemy an expansive group exhibition curated by prolific multi-media artist Monica Canilao. The immersive site specific installation will feature a gallery wide takeover opening to the public on Friday, July 10th in Detroit’s Historic Eastern Market. Using the medieval forerunner of chemistry for inspiration, Canilao asked the group of over 40 artists to create both two and three dimensional works that will transform the gallery into a contemporary reflection of this well worn path through the eyes of the contributing artists.

“It is said that ‘alchemists’ relied heavily upon their dreams, inspirations and visions for guidance in perfecting their art. In order to protect their secrets, they recorded diaries filled with mysterious symbols rather than text. These symbols remain exceptionally potent for changing states of consciousness.” - Monica Canilao

Click To View The Full Roster + See All 80+ Works From Alchemy

This piece of original artwork is signed by the artist and includes an Original Artwork Letter of Provenance from Inner State Gallery.

I love the act and feeling of discovery, diving deep into forgotten space, as immense as a warehouse and as small as rusty old tea tin. Using predominantly enamel on found objects and ink on found paper, my intent is to leave a unique imprint on these long- since-forgotten objects. As someone who has lost all of their belongings in this life, I find deep satisfaction in creating a nest for all my treasures. I am constantly stopping to pick up items along the way, something to honor and serve as a memory of this time spent together.

Without the use of modern tools, I invent intricate pattern work, reflective of my mother’s Mexican heritage. I love noticing human error in all art forms… you know there is a real person behind it, pieces of their narrative are revealed simply by the effort of their hands.