Anglim Gilbert Gallery is pleased to present “Somehow there will be music” – Jane, an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by Clare Rojas.

Rojas' presentation will feature a full range of imagery, scale and formats as the artist embraces the broader lexicon of her own history. Over the past 15 years Rojas has created both figurative and abstract paintings and sculptures, from miniature scale in gouache on paper to large three-dimensional installations using the architectural stage of large gallery spaces. Embracing the possibilities to create and communicate in her evolving vocabulary, Rojas melds figuration and the abstract to best convey important narratives that have unfolded in her world.

Rojas’ refined set of personal archetypes, characterized by earthy, geometric forms and recurring images of women and animals, enlivens her graphic renderings of imagined architectural spaces. Stories are reduced to their essence, resulting in images that both subvert traditional narratives and act as a record of self-determination.

In a significant shift from the hard-edged abstraction that has typified her practice in recent years, Rojas utilizes the more traditional underpinnings of painting to accentuate the introspective nature of her storytelling. Her attention to form, shadow, texture, and composition – quintessential elements of her chosen media – enable the meaningful subtleties that exist within her own interior life. Glimpses of underpainting and a fine application of impasto add further dimension to a carefully honed visual language.

Rojas’ sculptures, combine elements of her painting practice with optical effects, working within the space between two and three dimensions. The viewer animates these works by looking and moving; simple gestures that can either flatten or animate her graphic compositions, depending upon an individual’s physical perspective.

Without deliberate narration, how one views the contents of these works, shifts the paradigm and the perspective of empowerment and control of the narrative. Here, Rojas asks, how do we restore control of the story to those who have – on the basis of gender, race, and other identities – not been given the opportunity to define and celebrate their own narratives?

Clare Rojas studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Chicago Art Institute before moving to the Bay Area where she lives and maintains her studio. She has exhibited internationally, including solo shows at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, the Museo De Arte Contemporaneo de Castillo y Leon in Spain and the Museum Het Doemien in the Netherlands. She has received awards from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, Artadia, and the Fleishhacker Foundation’s Eureka Fellowship. Also an accomplished musician and performer, she has published several books and produced folk albums under the pseudonym Peggy Honeywell.