The Ogunquit Museum of American Art is thrilled to present the first solo museum exhibition of work by Gisela McDaniel, opening on August 1, 2025, and running through November 16. This presentation will explore her affirmational approach to portraiture.
Focusing on the individuality of her “subject-collaborators” (a term she uses for the individuals in her paintings, often women and non-binary people of color), McDaniel works to transform experiences and histories of trauma by creating space for healing and self-care through conversation and relationship building.
A diasporic, Indigenous CHamoru artist, McDaniel takes a multi-media approach that challenges power dynamics typically found within the practice and tradition of Euro-American portraiture; one that foregrounds the sitter as a passive object to be observed. McDaniel’s subject-collaborators are empowered to choose how they are depicted and invited to share personal belongings that are incorporated into their vibrant, three-dimensional portraits. The artist also gives agency to each sitter’s voice, incorporating into the portraits recordings of conversations had during the painting process.
At the core of this exhibition is McDaniel’s work with, and commitment to, the CHamoru community and diaspora of Guåhan (Guam), where her maternal family originates. In portraits of relatives, friends, activists, and healers, McDaniel foregrounds Indigenous histories, identities, stories, and values that have been silenced or ignored in Euro-American representations of Pasifika peoples.
Contextualizing this body of work, is a survey of McDaniel’s portraits of subject-collaborators from Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York––all spaces that she has lived and worked. These paintings, spanning roughly the last half-decade, reflect the self-made community McDaniel has built through her practice.
