Davidson Galleries

Medium: Linocut
Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 5 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Mexican, 1972
Date finished: 2002
Edition: of 60

Recommended by Nikki (Art Photographer / Marketing and Exhibitions Specialist):

Rodriguez’s graphic depictions of difficult-to-swallow topics feel tangible. The bold lines of the background draw attention to the small figures above the scene. One figure is shouting from a helicopter and pointing a gun, while the other also shouts and gestures frantically from a high-rise building. Both frame the central two figures who bare horns and tails to mark them as evil. Interestingly, the largest figure, assumed to be the artist dressed as a businessman, is hunched over with his hand in his pocket, tired. Even his pointed ears and large wings droop. The artist reminds us there’s no peace for those who choose evil from their positions of power.

Medium: Intaglio
Dimensions: 4 1/2 x 3 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Slovak, 1964
Edition: of 100

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator):

This piece is a quiet favorite of mine. Originally, I was drawn to the amazing textures: the flowing hillside, fabrics, and barely visible hair adornments. But I think the true value is in how Vavrova captures traditional Japanese style through an Eastern European lens, embracing another culture through her own practices. You can see the care she takes as a woman portraying other women. Through her travel experiences, Vavrova understands and shares a culture that is not her own, and in particular women, without distancing herself, without acting as an outsider or an intruder.

Medium: Hand-colored etching with chine-collé
Dimensions: 4 x 4 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1969
Date of impression: 2019
Edition: of 20

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist / Gallery Associate):

The symbolism within Mariko Ando's illustrative etchings reveals deeply unifying and poignant narratives, told through her animal subjects. Surrounded by thorny roses, the rabbit is attentively watching a gently floating feather, ready to catch it with their nimble fingers before it falls into the thorns. I see this as a reminder to seek softness and tenderness in my life, even when faced with the threat of pain, while the blood red roses call to my mind the often beautiful and life-affirming nature of painful experiences.

Medium: Mezzotint
Dimensions: 15 5/8 x 15 5/8 inches (Image) 20 3/4 x 20 3/8 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1967
Date finished: 2020
Edition: of 40

Recommended by Paige:

(Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator)

This piece expresses how I often feel when I am out of place in a new place. Traveling far from home or starting over somewhere new can be a surreal experience; sometimes you pause and wonder, how did I get here? Or why am I here? Leaving can feel like stepping off a cliff into the unknown, represented here by total black. But she hasn't fallen, she might even be floating, elevating to something greater: ascending.