Through the Mirror

It’s been said that art is a mirror for the person looking into it. The viewer sees themselves. Even when the subject doesn’t look like them, or is even human, or is even living. Artists may be painting very specific things from their own being, but the viewer can instantly rewire that to fit their lives with just one glance.

This is what makes art so wonderful and profound. This is also the subject of RJD Gallery’s new show, Mirrored Reality, opening January 1 in Romeo, Michigan. The show will feature some of the gallery’s most important painters, as well as works from deeper in its stunning inventory.

“Truth in art can be a mirrored reality reflecting back to us what is happening in the world or what we perceive is happening. It can present an outward validation of our innermost feelings and provide comfort that we are not alone in how we are thinking,” says Joi Jackson Perle, RJD’s gallery director. “Art challenges us to think deeply, engage fully and meet the complexities of the world with curiosity and grace. What better way to start the new year?”

Artists with works in the show include Haley Hasler, Julia Chen, Ben Hengst, Will Teather, Michael Viera, Pamela Wilson, Christina Pettersson and others.

Hasler, who will be showing her work Trick Roper in the show, notes that her works are often selfportraits, which allow her unique conversations with her audience. “The experience of looking at the exterior from within is a perspective unique to the self-portrait. My work explores this collision: the collision between interior and exterior self, the complex nature of portrayal, and the possibilities of exploring narrative and meaning inherent in this process,” Hasler says. “My painting Trick Roper is a sly mix of a pin-up girl, a cowgirl and a saint. Like all real protagonists, she is good, bad and complicated.”