Passage Through, New York–based artist Peter Krashes’ first solo exhibition on the West Coast, uses paintings of old and new construction, atmospheric details of public meetings, and ordinary yet meaningful aspects of community work to focus on daily experience in an ever-changing world. For nearly two decades, Krashes was deeply engaged as a community activist, and this lived experience shapes the work throughout the exhibition. Passage Through turns our attention to interstitial spaces and events—what is found in between, at the edges of our awareness, in the overlooked, and in the margins of our vision.
In works like Fences and Trees and Sprouting Seedbomb, barriers divide spaces, block visibility, and keep people separate from one another, but over time, they also provide a place for plants to grow and for birds to roost. In early works, scenes from community work, such as More Filled Seats Magnify the Message, grew from rallies and community-building practices, while State Attorney’s Public Meeting Notes emerged from the workings of government. Krashes’ work highlights how a community evolves, and the people, voices, and actions over time that help shape it.
Recent paintings made for this exhibition, including a series of mockingbirds in flight, recognize change as a constant in our neighborhoods while highlighting that resilience is possible over time. Working primarily in gouache, a medium Krashes describes as humble and open, the paintings leave room for uncertainty and possibility. In their directness, Krashes’ paintings reflect the context in which he lives and works in Brooklyn, yet they offer a passage of entry for any voice trying to make sense of our complicated world.
