Crosstown ArtsCrosstown Arts
FOUR POWERFUL EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW THROUGH MAY 11 AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Crosstown Arts is proud to present four compelling exhibitions that will remain on view through May 11, 2025. These exhibitions showcase the work of four dynamic artists whose practices explore themes of resilience, memory, identity, and migration. Each exhibition offers a distinct yet interconnected perspective on the human experience, inviting visitors to engage with visually striking and emotionally resonant works.
In From the Ashes, celebrated printmaker Maritza Dávila-Irizarry transforms personal tragedy into artistic expression. In April 2024, a devastating fire destroyed her printmaking studio, consuming decades of artwork, tools, and treasured books. But from this loss, Dávila has created an exhibition that tells a story of endurance, recovery, and community support.
Featuring both new and salvaged works, From the Ashes integrates printmaking, mixed media, photography, video, and remnants from the fire, preserving a moment in time while looking forward to renewal. A longtime educator and mentor, Dávila’s work is deeply rooted in ancestry, cultural memory, and personal history. Through layered compositions of symbols, geometric structures, and organic forms, she explores themes of womanhood, family, and identity.
Her career has spanned decades, including 36 years of teaching at Memphis College of Art, where she influenced generations of artists. This exhibition stands as a testament to her unwavering commitment to creativity—an act of rebuilding not just her studio, but the artistic connections that have defined her life’s work.
With Supernatural Telescope, Danielle Sierra presents a deeply personal and poetic reflection on memory, love, and spirituality. Inspired by the passing of her father, the exhibition explores the unseen ways in which love, grief, and imagination intertwine. Sierra’s work is an invitation to peer through a lens that transcends time, where the past and present merge in moments of beauty and loss.
Through evocative paintings, Sierra uses layered imagery and symbolic elements to capture the emotional weight of remembrance. Organic forms blend with architectural and cultural motifs, reflecting the ways in which personal history and artistic vision shape our understanding of the world.
Sierra, a native of Avenal, California, earned her MFA from the University of Memphis and has established herself as an artist whose work celebrates identity and heritage. She has contributed to significant mural projects in Memphis and Philadelphia, honoring diverse communities through large-scale public art. Supernatural Telescope continues her exploration of storytelling through visual expression, offering viewers a glimpse into the delicate interplay between love, legacy, and faith.
A celebration of culture and heritage, The Colors of the Caribbean by Juan Roberto Murat Salas transports viewers into the vibrant landscapes of the Caribbean. Murat Salas, a Cuban-born painter trained at the prestigious San Alejandro Academy of Arts in Havana, brings the rich visual traditions of his homeland to life through bold colors and dynamic compositions.
His work incorporates themes of deities, architecture, dance, flora, and fauna, drawing on centuries of artistic influence while infusing each piece with his personal vision. The exhibition pays tribute to the great masters of Cuban art, including Wilfredo Lam, Amelia Peláez, and René Portocarrero, while asserting a contemporary voice that speaks to both tradition and modernity.
Beyond its celebration of artistic heritage, The Colors of the Caribbean also reflects the challenges faced by artists from the Global South. For Murat Salas, like many Cuban artists before him, exile has played a role in shaping his creative journey. This exhibition marks his first major show in the United States, providing an opportunity to share his vision with a broader audience and bring the energy and resilience of Caribbean art to Memphis.
In A Journey into the Shadows, Colombian-born artist Nelson Gutierrez confronts the realities of migration and displacement through a striking visual language of shadow and movement. Using three-dimensional cutout drawings illuminated by shifting projections, his work creates an immersive experience that reflects the instability and uncertainty faced by those seeking a brighter future.
The figures in Gutierrez’s work appear to walk endlessly, their forms dissolving into shifting masses of shadow. This interplay between light and darkness serves as a metaphor for the invisible struggles of displaced people—those whose identities blur as they move between places, often unseen and unheard. His process involves hand-drawn figures that are laser-cut into sculptural forms, which are then manipulated through projected light to create a constantly evolving visual landscape.
Gutierrez, who holds an MFA from Chelsea College of Art in London, has exhibited internationally, with works that address sociopolitical themes through conceptual and multidisciplinary approaches. His work in Memphis continues his commitment to exploring human resilience and the search for belonging in an ever-changing world.
These four exhibitions will remain on view at Crosstown Arts Gallery through May 11, 2025. Each artist brings a unique perspective, yet together, their work forms a powerful narrative of transformation, cultural identity, and perseverance.
We invite you to explore these thought-provoking exhibitions and experience the profound stories they tell.
Crosstown Arts Gallery
On View Through May 11, 2025
Free and Open to the Public
