The Ogunquit Museum of American Art is thrilled to present Where the Real Lies opening on April 18, 2025, and running through November 16. This exhibition brings together nineteen contemporary artists who imagine spaces to find strength and self-understanding in the face of the tumultuous realities that define our daily lives.
Reality today feels confusing and unmoored. Jerked and jolted, the 21st century has been carried from one crisis to the next: from financial panics to social reckonings to global pandemics. The breakdown of a shared reality has intensified this sense of chaos. As our modern society feels more dehumanizing, alienating, and unsustainable, the artists in this exhibition engage the magical, fantastical, and abstract as devices to envision and empower parallel spaces for their own self-reflection and representation.
Across this exhibition, artists embrace psychoanalytically the imagery of childhood memories and dreams; explore the personal significance of materials and symbols; and reflect on individual relationships to, and representations within, dominant historical narratives. Together, the artists in the exhibition question the veracity of our reality and search for its true location.
Where the Real Lies is a collaboration with Spaghetti Western Collection, founded by Michael Sherman and Vinny Dotolo, which has a mission to highlight and exhibit emerging contemporary artists.
Participating Artists: Adam Alessi, Natalie Ball, Louis Fratino, Dominique Fung, Bambou Gili, Sasha Gordon, Taha Heydari, Clotilde Jiménez, Becky Kolsrud, Leslie Martinez, Devin N. Morris, Tammy Nguyen, Ariana Papademetropoulos, Bony Ramirez, mosie river, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Nadia Waheed, Blair Whiteford, and Mark Yang.
