Rojas has emerged as a distinctive voice whose work bridges personal and universal themes. Her visual language is deeply rooted in ecofeminist discourse, the natural world, and literature, while resonating powerfully within the broader context of modern art. The exhibition features works from 2019 to the present, including large-scale and intimate paintings, bronzes, and an installation of wallpaper designed by the artist in collaboration with Peg Norriss x Schumacher.
"Clare Rojas' multifaceted practice employs an expansive range of styles and inspirations⎯from abstraction to magical realism to feminist narratives," said Dr. Katia Zavistovski, curator of the exhibition. "Her ability to weave together stories through metaphor, symbology, and fantastical imagery creates bewitching ecosystems that link the past and present, the mystical and mundane."
The exhibition explores how Rojas deftly combines abstract and representational modes and extends the legacies of early and mid-20th century movements like the Bauhaus, Hard-Edge painting, and Surrealism. Her compositions are infused with animistic themes, revealing a deep engagement with folklore and mythology that stems from her Peruvian ancestry. Birds, witches, and the forces of nature frequently appear as protagonists in Rojas' magical realist tableaus.
Several of the artist's recent paintings create an immersive, self-reflexive world. Compositions reference each other and her own abstract works, connecting different bodies of her oeuvre. The exhibition's title refers to this interweaving of past, present, and future in Rojas' practice.
"In presenting Clare Rojas' work, we continue the Bechtler's tradition of showcasing artists whose practices expand our understanding of modern art's enduring resonance," said museum director Todd D. Smith. "Rojas' paintings, characterized by intricate detail and an unflinching exploration of themes like identity and tradition, invite viewers into an intergenerational dialogue."
The exhibition is accompanied by a richly-illustrated scholarly catalog with essays by Dr. Zavistovski and Dr. Jenni Sorkin, a leading scholar of feminist art and material culture. A diverse array of programs will offer opportunities for visitors to engage further with Rojas' practice.
Clare Rojas: Past the Present is organized by the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and curated by Dr. Zavistovski in close collaboration with the artist. The show launches the museum's 15th anniversary celebration and with it, a year of exhibitions and programs dedicated to important female artists of the modern and contemporary periods.
About the Artist
Clare Rojas was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1976. She has work in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Hammer Museum (Los Angeles); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Orange County Museum of Art (Costa Mesa, CA); San Jose Museum of Art (CA); Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (CA); Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago; Columbus Museum of Art (OH); Progressive Art Collection (Cleveland, OH); Dakis Joannou Collection (Athens, Greece); and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (León, Spain). She has been awarded grants and residencies from Artadia, the Eureka Fellowship, Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, Joan Mitchell Foundation, and Headlands Center for the Arts. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; IKON Gallery (Birmingham, England); Museum Het Domein (Sittard, Netherlands); Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University (Waltham, MA); Savannah College of Art and Design (GA); Ulrich Museum of Art (Wichita, KS); Knoxville Museum of Art (TN); Belkin Satellite (Vancouver, Canada); and CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (San Francisco). She has a BFA in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Rojas is represented by Jessica Silverman in San Francisco; Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York; and SOCO Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina.
About the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is the only museum in the Southern United States dedicated to European and American modern art and its legacies. Capturing a remarkable era of art history from the collection of the Zürich-based Bechtler family, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art collection includes works by some of the most important and influential figures of modernism, including Alexander Calder, Le Corbusier, Edgar Degas, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Barbara Hepworth, Jasper Johns, Paul Klee, Joan Miró, Kenneth Noland, Pablo Picasso, Germaine Richier, Bridget Riley, Nicolas de Staël, Andy Warhol, and a wealth of other 20th-century notables. The museum, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, prominently features Niki de Saint Phalle's iconic Le Grand Oiseau de Feu sur l'Arche (The Firebird) on its entrance plaza. Located in the heart of Uptown, the Bechtler is a light-filled community space created to inspire and engage first-time visitors and long-term supporters alike.
SOURCE Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
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