Charleston artist Kate Ritchie currently has a solo exhibition on view at Public Works Art Center through May 16th. The opening reception for the exhibition will be on Thursday March 16th from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Ritchie plans to give an artist talk about her new body of work at 6 pm.
“This exhibition, Divine Feminine, celebrates the divine feminine energy within all of us,” Ritchie said. “My hope is that, through this body of work, you will see the goddess within yourself and everyone around you.”
Ritchie has been a resident of Charleston for 13 years and has rented a studio at Redux Contemporary Art Center for the last four. During her time at Redux, she participated in many group shows and had a small solo exhibition in 2021 titled Cosmic Visions. But this current exhibition at Public Works is her first solo show in a gallery outside of downtown Charleston.
“It's really exciting to be exhibiting in a new space and reaching a broader audience,” Ritchie said. “Creating this exhibition has been healing for me. Making this work has strengthened my relationship with my own body image and has helped me see myself as a powerful, divine being. It has also deepened my love and appreciation for the women in my life.”
Ritchie's exhibition features a series of yonis, uteruses, and larger than life goddesses that are sure to leave an impact on the viewer.
“The flower collage vulvas and uteruses are my reverence of the female anatomy,” Ritchie said. “The sacred yoni and womb are literally portals for human life! Women possess incredible power and every part of our bodies is beautiful. The goddesses in this exhibition are women I personally know and admire. Each goddess represents one of the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), the sun, or the moon. Painting these portraits was such a special way to spend time with each person and to celebrate their sacredness.”
Ritchie describes her work as mixed media collages– combining acrylic paint, images cut out of magazines, gold leaf, and resin. She has been experimenting with mixed media techniques for years and really enjoys weaving the different mediums together into one piece.
“My favorite thing about mixed media art is that the possibilities are endless,” she said. “I really enjoy using acrylic paint alongside collage. It's fun trying to trick the viewer's eye and make them guess where the paint ends and the collage begins. And I love adding resin as the finishing touch to my pieces. The high gloss finish really gives the work a polished finish.”
Kate Ritchie's solo exhibition, Divine Feminine, is currently on view at Public Works Art Center, 135 W Richardson Ave, Summerville. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm and it is free and open to the public.
