An installation honoring Oaxacan healer María Sabina is scheduled to open Saturday, Oct. 31, at Art Works Downtown in San Rafael.
“Oaxaca’s Sacred Keeper: María Sabina,” by Jacqueline López, combines collage with images of plants, mushrooms and the sky to examine connections between ancestry, ritual and nature, according to the gallery’s Artists’ Wall announcement.
The exhibition is scheduled through Nov. 30. Admission is free.
The gallery describes the work as a tribute to Sabina, whose healing ceremonies involved sacred mushrooms. López incorporates imagery drawn from Oaxacan artistic traditions, including patterns resembling decorative cut paper and textiles.
López was born on the border of Paraguay and Brazil. Her work includes paintings, masks, collages and altars, according to the MarinArts exhibition listing. She describes Hispanic-Portuguese and Guaraní Indigenous influences on her practice. The listing also identifies her as an Art Works Downtown board member.
“This piece is less a portrait than an offering,” López wrote in her artist statement, describing it as “a visual meditation on remembrance, sacred knowledge, and the enduring conversation between the living, the ancestors, and the unseen.”
The installation is on the lower level of Art Works Downtown, 1337 Fourth St. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Because the announced closing date falls on a Monday, visitors should check with the gallery before planning a visit that day.
A reception is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m., during the free 2nd Friday Art Walk.
Upcoming dates
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Exhibition opens.
- Friday, Nov. 13, 5-8 p.m.: Reception and 2nd Friday Art Walk.
- Monday, Nov. 30: Announced exhibition closing date; regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday.
