New York-based artist Dana James presents her third solo show with Hollis Taggart, titled “Ink Moon,” at the gallery’s Lower East Side location. The exhibition marks a significant shift in her practice, moving from her signature soft pastels and feminine sensibility toward bolder, more gestural works featuring near-black hues, intense primary colors, and expressive mark-making. James created the new body of work while navigating an advancing pregnancy, which she says pushed her work in a more intense direction rather than the expected softer style.
This exhibition matters because it showcases an artist’s evolution in real time, demonstrating how personal experience—in this case, pregnancy—can transform an artist’s visual language without abandoning their core identity. The show also highlights Hollis Taggart’s continued commitment to representing James since she joined the gallery in 2019, and reflects broader conversations about how female artists navigate motherhood and creative practice simultaneously.