Six female artists—Karen Barbour, María Berrío, Ana Cláudia Almeida, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Sasha Gordon, and Olivia van Kuiken—are each opening major solo exhibitions in September. The article profiles their distinct practices, from Barbour's abstract dot-filled dreamscapes and Berrío's collaged visions to Gbadebo's sculptures using human hair and indigo dye. It includes first-person accounts from the artists about their creative processes, with exhibitions at venues such as Harkawik and Matthew Brown.
This roundup matters because it highlights a surge of figuration in contemporary art that is personal, political, and formally inventive, pushing against flat photo-realism. The artists represent a generational shift, with some like Karen Barbour gaining late-career recognition after decades of private practice. The piece underscores how emerging and overlooked female artists are reshaping the conversation around painting and sculpture in the current art world.