JESSICA DALVA

SECRET GARDEN

September 21st - October 13th, 2024

Opening Reception: First Friday, October 4th from 5pm - 9pm

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Arch Enemy Arts presents SECRET GARDEN by Jessica Dalva, a new series of mixed media sculptures that include four wall-hanging shadow boxes and one freestanding figure. The figure (“Precious”) is a voluptuous female nude gorgeously sculpted in epoxy clay. WIth a graceful, hand-carved finish, Dalva skillfully renders her with naturalistic fantasy, signature of the artist’s dark, detailed, and romantic style. 

 

“I pulled inspiration from a variety of sources and experiences: loss and grief, relics in echoey churches, and the comfort that comes with pulling thread through fabric…This is a more introspective series for me. Creating it felt like tending to a secret garden in my own head.”

 

“Precious” stands in contrast to the surrounding sculptures that hang filled with soft, delicately sewn and mystical symbols–an outstretched hand (“Something to Remember Me By”), a small bird (“It Almost Felt Like Nothing At All”), a bloody deer (“Some Days Are Better Than Others”). Adorned with vintage velvet millinery foliage, sculpted flowers, beads and rhinestones, these emblems reveal an allusive, impressionistic side to Dalva’s work–like snapshots from a dream. Perhaps “Precious” is the protagonist of SECRET GARDEN, and these are her spells. Healing magic cast in seclusion; a sanctuary where the roots grow deeper than the ground. 

 

Jessica Dalva lives and works in Oakland, California. She attended Otis College of Art and Design, graduating with Honors and a degree in Illustration. Dalva is one of the longest-exhibiting artists with Arch Enemy Arts, participating in more than thirty shows since the gallery’s inception. SECRET GARDEN is her fifth solo feature with the gallery.

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SECRET GARDEN will be on view from September 21st - October 13th, 2024
Sold works will begin to ship the week starting October 20th unless other rush arrangements have been made.

Payment plan options are available on most works.

All items marked with a red dot have been sold. 

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