FLIRT

[If you are interested in purchasing a work, please contact the gallery for more information.]

UPPER MARKET GALLERY is pleased to present FLIRT, a new solo exhibition by Alex Maceda that explores feminine embodiment, specifically the flavor of it that feels ecstatic, joyful, free, and, dare we say, irresponsible. 

“Unapologetic girlhood. Insisting on staying soft. Giggling at inappropriate times. The thrill of texting your crush - and making them tell you a secret. Hugging a random gal in a club bathroom because you're drunk and you like her outfit. Wearing the dress. Wearing the heels. Wearing the ribbon in your hair. Giving your life to your besties. Ordering the extra martini. Brightness and boldness. 

These are paintings that pull you in filled with brushstrokes that flirt with you. The combinations of colors go from tonal to daring; each painting invites a surprise, each painting invites you to first dance on the surface, then go deeper… but only if you feel intrigued. 

I sometimes think love is too serious a thing – life is too serious a thing. In a time when womanhood feels more and more under attack and at a time where my peers are going through everything from marriages to births to divorces, the idea of flirting feels lost, foreign, from a time too long ago. And that is why it feels important. 

To invite lightness, to invite joy, to sit in the medial space where everything is a possibility – everyone is still a perfect idea – feels amongst the boldest and the most revolutionary acts I, as a woman, can take. 

I want more joy for us. For a moment, I want to thrust responsibility aside, I want to forget the heaviness of the world. I want to flirt.”

~ alex maceda

joshua tree, april 2024

opening reception: april 6, 6-9pm

duration: april 5 - april 21

open hours: saturdays & sundays 12-5pm & by appointment

studio photos by Lauren Randolph