Mariane Ibrahim Gallery

Michi Meko, The Big Mental Pause, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim. Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to present Under the Flickering Light of the North Star, the gallery’s inaugural solo exhibition with Atlanta-based artist Michi Meko. On paper and canvas, the work layers tactile materials as narrative elements, taking the viewer from moments of stillness to bursts of action as it explores the artist's contemplations on the legacies of critical geographies, particularly those of the American South.

Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition in Chicago by artist duo Mwangi Hutter, entitled You Begin to See the Signs. The show will be on view from March 4 to April 16, 2025, and will mark the artists' third solo exhibition with the gallery and first in Chicago. The exhibition will be on view in tandem with the group exhibition Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica at the Art Institute Chicago, which includes Static Drift (2001), part of the museum's permanent collection.

In an age of rapid advancement in virtual and augmented reality, Eva Jospin roots her practice in questioning perspective itself. In her tridimensional sculptures and immersive installations, she activates the illusion of depth to shift direct perception and guide the eye to multiple dimensions within each artwork— transforming sight into a conscious, interiorized process. As she explains, “I try to address the landscape as one we are part of—when nature becomes not just a space we observe but one we are inside of, it transforms into an interior, imagined vision.” While the notion of linear perspective was first theorized in the 15th century by Leon Battista Alberti, Jospin’s practice expands this singularity. In Vanishing Points the artist underscores the impossibility of engaging in her work from a single viewpoint. This is formally evidenced in sculptural scenes that unveil their complexity when observed from varying angles, heights, and distances. Each work conjures a sense of immersion that evokes the presence and immediacy of a rich landscape that has not been flattened by representation. Enlivened through one’s imagination, the work is further heightened as an internal experience. Inspired by the inhabitable structures of Italian Baroque gardens, Eva Jospin explores the ambiguity and theatricality of 18th century eccentric and decorative constructions found in parks also known as architectural follies. These forms bridge the visualities of a natural landscape to the curiosity and wonders evoked by sentimental and ornamental structures. Jospin works in their legacy as she blends the precision of architectural design with the fluidity of organic forms. The artist’s technical explorations into embroidery and textiles embody a diversity that deepens the tactile experience between her bi-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks. This metamorphosis of material using bronze, silk threads, and cardboard, is a journey through landscapes where subtle details invite a shift in perspective. Through her integration of diverse materials, Eva Jospin navigates the spatial interrelationships between humanity, architecture, and nature in deep contemplation of their interconnectedness. Vanishing Points is a chapter in the artist’s ongoing inquiry into the observer’s connection to their natural and built environment—a dialogue with resonance to the architectural heritage of Chicago, making this exhibition a fitting debut in the city.

Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to present Escaping the tyranny of meaning, a solo exhibition of new work by Leasho Johnson, on view from August 30 until October 26, 2024. This exhibition marks the artist’s first show with the gallery. In reflection of the rich sociologies of Jamaica, the centrality of mythology in Leasho Johnson’s work acknowledges the Caribbean and diasporic heritage to solidify history through folklore and imagination. Johnson’s practice situates imagination as an incubator for uninhibited connection and self-expression. Navigating the complexities of dark, abstract realms, his practice reveals sudden bursts of figuration, where creatures of presence emerge with striking clarity. By blending and experimenting with drawing and painting techniques, Johnson creates lush, vivid images brimming with sensual intensity. Image: Leasho Johnson, The centipede under two skies (Anansi #27), 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim.

Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to announce Palimpsest, a summer group exhibition presenting work by Bethany Collins, McArthur Binion, Carmen Neely, Zohra Opoku, ruby onyinyechi amanze, Michael Rakowitz, and Edra Soto. Palimpsest sparks dialogue between hegemonic and emergent histories, private and public iconographies, mythologies, and fantasies. The show will be on view from July 30 through August 24, 2024. This convergence of work examines how drawing, painting, and sculpture serve as palimpsests as each embodies records of personal and diasporic narratives. These artworks highlight the opacity of history in our lives, where memories are veiled and known only through their traces. Composed of contested memories, social minutia and phenomena, alongside notions of spirituality and myth these visual records illustrate that even in the haste of erasure, histories may be shrouded, but traces remain, destined to be rediscovered. Palimpsest illuminates the dynamic interplay between visibility and concealment, memory, and imagination in our lives. By engaging in detailed observation, viewers uncover how these interconnected residual histories shape personal and collective narratives.

Sol Kordich (b. Buenos Aires, 1995) is an artist based in Berlin whose compositions exude sophistication and elegance, marked by a meticulous layering that imbues the canvas with depth and luminosity. Within the intricate layers of color lie fragments of poetry, song lyrics, and notation, echoing the unseen yet profound aspects of human experience. This hidden complexity serves as a testament to the artist's belief in the significance of both the visible and the unseen.

As her figures waver between figuration and abstraction throughout her work in Interiorities Miranda Forrester paints instability at the edge of presence and disappearance.