Monya Rowe Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new paintings by Erin Milez titled Everything the light touches.

After leaving the New York area for Seattle, Milez has reflected on the urban landscape and its unyielding culture. Many of the works in this exhibition depict individuals struggling in tight spaces. The characters navigate through life seemingly unaware of real human connection.

Milez drew inspiration from Jacob Lawrence, L.S Lowry, Winfred Rembert, and George Tooker. These artists all highlight the dynamic, everyday flow of life in shared, bustling spaces.

In Milez's exhibition, ambitious, working professionals navigating dense urban environments like crowded city beaches, subways, highways, and escalators are portrayed. The artist says: "I was surprised to find how many of the figures are cropped, particularly in their facial features. This was my subconscious designing these people who are experiencing some sensory limitations, not using their full self to be attentive to the world."

Nature often pushes its way into artificial environments. Mountains rise above a busy highway's rush hour. A subway commuter carries a bouquet of flowers. A shop overflows with potted plants, palm trees pattern a shirt, and weeds push through a tree grate. In A giving tree (2026), two figures on a city sidewalk exchange a silent, passing glance. Their relationship is unknown. The moment echoes a familiar modern picture: head down, eyes glued to a phone, avoiding human interaction. E.M. Forster famously urged us to "only connect". Milez also invites us to pause, engage with the present, and notice the beauty around us.