Cathartic Dreams

You are invited to the opening reception for the Cathartic Dreams, a two person exhibition featuring Emily Pfaff and John Paul Kesling at WheelHouse Art.The reception will be Friday, September 13, 6:00 - 8:00pm with a casual artist talk with Emily Pfaff at 7:00pm. The exhibition will be on view through October 26, 2024.

Cathartic Dreams delves into the complex interplay between the nostalgia of childhood and the reality of adulthood. Pfaff’s and Kesling’s paintings evoke a time when imagination was a refuge, a tool for navigating a world both chaotic and wonder-filled. The imagery of lone figures in vast, unconquerable landscapes seesaws between sensations of being small and insignificant and being the center of a universe.

These pieces are vivid depictions of real and imagined childhood memories filtered through an adult’s perspective. Scenes of camaraderie, secret hideouts, and the innocent mischief of youth invite viewers to reflect on the loss of that untainted wonder as one matures. The artists explore the dissonance between the idyllic past and the sobering truths uncovered in adulthood, juxtaposing the safety once felt in fictional dangers with the unsettling revelations about real-life heroes and societal norms.

Pfaff and Kesling both share bright, playfully sincere personalities, and their work perfectly represents their endearing character. Their unreserved imaginations manifest as candid snapshots washing sincerity over encroaching responsibilities, heartbreaks, and unsettling truths of the adult world. They challenge viewers to (re)visit innocent moments with a sense of love, while acknowledging the complexities we were naïvely unaware of but nonetheless shaped us. The artists provide a means of reclaiming the magic of youth, albeit with a more nuanced understanding of its shadows.