Today we are celebrating a past exhibit! Madonnas by Andrea Kraus may be over, but its impact still lingers. This month, Andrea’s exhibition is our staff pick! You can view her show online here: https://www.studiogallerydc.com/madonnas-catalogue.
Gvantsa says:
It was a sunny day and it was quiet in the gallery. I entered our gallery’s lower level and was taken aback by the beauty of the new exhibit. The artworks I saw brought the sun to my face.
Last month, Studio Gallery presented Andrea Kraus’ show “Madonnas”: a compilation of intimate-sized photographs embellished with shiny gems. Even with a first glance, you can see how colorful and playful they are. When you come closer to the artworks, you see that each and every detail are made by hand; the photographs are surrounded by little rhinestones and fabrics, lovingly affixed to each portrait. A “Madonna” is an idealized, virtuous woman who, in all her divine glory, seems to be able to do just about everything. Each “Madonna” has a golden halo around their head. Andrea Kraus’ inspiration comes from Byzantine icons’ use of golden halos. They also historically symbolize the Virgin Madonna.
Andrea Kraus loves traveling, and in her show she focuses on women from different countries, including India, Uzbekistan, Thailand, and Morocco among others. She presents ordinary women in their everyday life, photographed while thinking, or working, carrying food, or even simply smiling. Andrea’s warm perspective and ever-searching camera lens sheds light on these everyday women’s’ uncommon and unique beauty.
Halley says:
The warmth of Andrea Kraus’ personality extends far into her artwork, and the effect is clear as day: beautiful, honest portraits of everyday women, being recognized for their incredible divinity; both historical and modern.
When viewing Andrea’s works up close, her loving patience and artisanship is apparent. Each tiny jewel is placed carefully, purposefully. The Madonnas are surrounded by little shining seas of silver, red, and blue, as well as their iconic and well-deserved golden halos. What struck me so much when this exhibit was up at Studio Gallery in February was the beautiful diversity of each lovely Madonna. Every woman pictured is real, and the photographs capture them so well. Either looking directly into the camera, smiling and turned as though having a lively conversation with someone just out of frame, or simply going about their everyday duties, these women all hold a sense of determination, of character, and of warmth.
Andrea’s mixed media photographs inspire me to learn more about women in other cultures and to remember the extraordinary beauty that ordinary life holds. Here at Studio Gallery, we support the representation and celebration of all people; Madonnas gives us a lovely window into the lives of those who are so different from us, and yet we can find so many similarities.
Though the exhibit has ended, please visit our online catalogue where all of Andrea’s works are on view (and still for sale!). Her works allow us to experience the authentic beauty of real women who (we think) really do deserve golden halos for their dedication and unseen work in life.
Written by staff contributor Gvantsa Kikalishvili and director Halley Stubis.