Renee Kuharchuk Solo Exhibition
Renee Kuharchuk is a painter and teacher based in Chicagoland. She earned her BFA in painting, sculpture, and art education from Elmhurst University and an MA in Education from Concordia University. Her art, blending portraiture and abstract colors, explores feminism, the human experience, and mental health awareness.
In The Theater 7/11 - 7/26
Closing Reception 7/25, 6-9pm
Jackson Junge Gallery proudly presents their first group exhibition of 2025, THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID. The exhibition features artwork by women about women, showcasing the talent of 36 fem artists, many of whom are local to the Chicagoland area. In response to a contentious election, the gallery hopes to celebrate and empower women by giving female and non-binary creators a platform to share their experiences. When faced with oppression, creating becomes an important outlet where women artists can freely express themselves.
The artwork in THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID explores many different facets of womanhood. Representing both the soft, vulnerable side of femininity alongside the strong, protective side is Amber Ramos’ “Exposed and Armored”, an analog collage in which a woman form is half exposed, half covered in armor. While woman possess the unmeasurable capacity to be whatever they choose, unfortunately they are frequently hindered by societal expectations of their gender. With the constricted chest of a woman in “Caged”, Renee Kuharchuk paints a visual representation “of what anxiety feels like while inhabiting a female presenting body. The invisible limits that males place on our existence, presence, our voice. Women have all felt this anxiety, we’ve all experienced being held back or held down, out of our control.”
The recent election escalated many women’s anxiety. “They Keep Getting Away With It” by Nalei Taeoalii provides a young person’s perspective on the election. Taeoalii’s painting shows tangled RCA cables trapping vulnerable woman. The complex painting is a metaphor for the artist’s feelings of helplessness – “Growing up in the time of the Internet, I witnessed a lot of my favorite Celebrities eventually get accused of grooming or assault and then maintain some sort of following. Now, I am 18 years old and this Harris Vs. Trump election was the first I ever voted in. Watching a man convicted of rape win the presidential race felt like a confirmation of everything I’d ever felt. That the support and safety of women would never be prioritized over the success of a man.” Anitra Frazier conveys her own feelings towards the election in “…He Loves Me Not…” where she paints the hands of an African-American woman plucking the petals off a daisy cloaked in the design of the American Flag. After witnessing the results of the presidential election, Frazier “was disappointed and angry, but not surprised. I felt that perhaps America was ready for a female and Black president, but misogyny and racism won.” Frazier’s painting represents her “fanciful desire for a society that doesn’t exist.”
The 2024 election is not the first time that women have felt mistreated in politics. Faith Blackwell’s visually compelling piece “2 Feet Hi & Rising” celebrates the natural beauty of black hair while shedding light on the ongoing struggle against hair discrimination under the 2019 Crown Act. The photograph features a striking juxtaposition of the subject’s hair against a black floral background. This contrast symbolizes the complex relationship between cultural identity, personal expression, and societal norms. Through this piece, Faith Blackwell invites viewers to “reflect on the significance of natural hair in the Black community and the importance of embracing one’s cultural identity. The photograph serves as a powerful statement of empowerment and a call to action for equality and acceptance.” Laina Joy’s “Tired Woman” was created after Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022. The piece depicts a woman wrapped in a blanket of open scars. The bright and outwardly feminine color patterns are distractions away from her displeased and exhausted expression. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, Joy painted “Tired Woman” to say “Women are not baby vessels. Women are not second-class anything. Women are tired of being told how to be.”
Laura Haberer’s painting “She Didn’t Know That Nature Could Be Placed Upon Her Chest” is an intimate glimpse into the momentous moment a new mother meets her baby. The expressive gestures of the brush strokes combined with the warmth in tone envelops viewers in the emotions of the scene. While Haberer’s piece is undoubtably a beautiful celebration of motherhood, the artist also shares her complex feelings towards the intrusion of politics into the deeply personal decision to have children – “My husband and I struggled with fertility, and I nearly died of a septic miscarriage the year before having my son. It isn’t lost on me that had that occurred during the current presidential administration or if I lived in a different state, I may not have survived and never had the chance to become a mother. My son wouldn’t be here. When I reflect on all the ways in which men in suits have attempted to control women’s reproduction, from the idea of restricting IVF to forcing women to bear children they don’t desire to withholding life-saving healthcare, it’s clear it isn’t about reproduction at all, but about control. These men sit in their leather-bound chairs miles from the hospital rooms where babies are born or the bathrooms where women are racked with fear over an unwanted pregnancy. They do not pause to contemplate the emotional state of any woman on the precipice of a reproductive choice, yet they feel entitled to the decision. Words fail to describe the moment I met my son and the change to my very being that I experienced. But it was my choice. As it should be every woman’s choice.”
While woman’s rights are threatened, many women are finding their voice. At first glance, Brie Hines’ “I Miss the Old You” looks like a bright, colorful painting of note-passing at a fanciful dinner, but it serves as a deeper allegory for the relationship changes Hines experienced on her journey of self-worth and discovery of her voice as a feminist. Hines says “with this transformation came a pattern of abandonment—people who once surrounded me drifted away when I no longer sought their validation. On a broader scale, women who embrace their individuality and confidence are often misunderstood, even resented, by those who once depended on their self-doubt. And now, we are watching this play out on a systemic level. As women reclaim their autonomy—over their bodies, their identities, their futures—there is a force desperately trying to push us back into silence.” An artist who refuses to be silent is Bryn Gleason whose photograph “NO.” shows a woman taking a knife to an egg positioned above her abdomen, a strong visual meant to empower. Gleason understands that “in a world flooded with prompts to be gentile, quiet, caring, and accommodating, merely uttering the work “No” takes practice. Strengthening that vocal muscle is an immense feat, one of significance even if it is only the first of many strenuous steps in ensuring the lines you draw are respected. What then do you do when your “No” is violated? When the boundary you set has been crossed and you find yourself being bent once again to satisfy someone else’s demand? This is when “No” becomes an action. “No” becomes a journey. “No” becomes destruction, loss, survival, and immeasurable grief. “No” should never be smothered by fear, if it is, then it is the most important “No” you will ever survive.”
Ultimately, the artworks in THAT’S WHAT SHE SAYS convey a similar message – that woman hold unmeasurable capacity to be whatever they choose. A series of nine small mixed media paintings of sparrows, Elena Nentcheva’s “Bridesmaids” references the tendency in eastern cultures to describe women using bird related terms. Nentcheva believes that while “some may find this to be an implication of weakness, I feel the comparison parallels the beautiful, free, loyal, untamed nature of being a woman”. Amber Penney’s “The Birdcage” is an abstract painting poetically depicting a bird freed from a cage. Penney says the cage serves as “a metaphor for the historical treatment of women, who have often been expected to conform to roles as caretakers and objects of beauty, discouraged from questioning societal norms. The bird, depicted outside the cage, symbolizes freedom, emphasizing that it was never intended to be confined.” While recent events may have women feeling trapped, we hope the community found among the artists of THAT’S WHAT SHE SAYS empowers women to seek freedom.
Existing as a woman is a wildly complex experience. When asking artists to provide a few words on their works, our gallery has never received such profound and thoughtfully expressed descriptions. It was difficult not to highlight every piece here, but you can find each artist’s statements alongside their piece on our website.
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of womanhood. Join us at Jackson Junge Gallery to share this journey. An Opening Reception for THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID will be held Friday, February 28th, 2025 from 6pm-10pm and is free to the public. The exhibition runs February 24th – April 6th, 2025. It is curated by Owner & featured artist Laura Lee Junge, Gallery Director Kaitlyn Miller, and Assistant Gallery Director Kristen Arcus.
