Arts Agenda: Independent Galleries – Winter 2025

Each week, ArtsATL delivers a critic’s short list of the shows, exhibitions, concerts and events we recommend for the coming weeks within one discipline in the kaleidoscope of Atlanta arts and culture. Every week, we’ll present a different art form.

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Through February 8

Kate Burke: The Song I Sang as You Swam Away at Swan Coach House Gallery. Kate Burke’s labor-intensive craft intertwines childhood memories with reflections on the internet.

Through February 9

OftenSeenRarelySpoken: Resurgence at ABV Gallery. Original works in the East and West annexes of the gallery by this five-person collective re-interpret still life and landscape with a pop sensibility.

Through February 23

Yan Wen Chang: Jillian at Hawkins HQ. Paintings as intense meditations on the American dream inflected through the artist’s immigration to Canada at age 17.

Through March 1

Craig Dongoski: Land of Heroes/Hand of Zeroes at Whitespace Gallery. New forms of mark-making from the Georgia State University professor who has endlessly explored methods of making marks, graphically and sonically.

Don Pollack: South of the Yellowstone at Marcia Wood Gallery. A collection of paintings and drawings in which the artist explores the heritage of his family, who migrated to the frontier West in the early 20th century.

Through March 2

Splinter/ed at eyedrum. Produced by a team of curators, this group exhibition checks out the spaces where realities collide with artists such as Shanequa Gay, Jessica Blinkhorn and Jessica Caldas.

Through March 5

Charly Palmer, Chris Aluka Berry and John Wissler at Mason Fine Art. Three varied artists show work in painting, drawing and photography. Includes Berry’s work in “Affrilachia,” or African Americans living in Appalachia.

Through March 7

Forging Ahead at Spalding Nix Fine Art. Four artists embody the concept of moving ahead quickly and resolutely: Heather Bird Harris, Andrew Herzog, Robert Hightower and Jamie Bourgeois.

Renewal: Featuring Will Day & Alberto Murillo at Maune Contemporary. Two artists making large-scale, ambitious, abstract works.

Through March 13

Brenda Rehrig at Ger-Art Gallery. Rehrig, an encaustic and ceramics artist who died in 2023, began each of her works with a color concept, building up abstract form from that foundation.

February 8-March 15

David Ivie and Mario Petrirena: remembering, in memory at Sandler Hudson Gallery. This two-person show explores memory in sculpture and painting.

February 20-March 15

Abby Gregg and Hayley Krichels: Camera obscura creature at Day & Night Projects. Painter and Oglethorpe professor Abby Gregg and multimedia artist Hayley Krichels are both 2024 Open Call finalists.

Opens February 28

City of Ink 18th Anniversary Show. Eighteen artists curate 10 artists each for this massive group extravaganza. Talents include Tracy Murrell, Quintavius Oliver, Artemus Jenkins, Nyala Yvonne, CRLZ and more.

Trey Dowell, Charity Hamidullah and Chaice Garner at Echo Contemporary. Three artists show in this space for emerging talent.

January 30-March 29

Sally Mann: At Twelve at Jackson Fine Art. No stranger to controversy, this lyrical photographer exhibits previously unreleased images of children on the verge of adulthood.

January 31-March 7

The New South 6 at Kai Lin Art. This sprawling group exhibition of works on paper includes the likes of Sabre Esler, Hail Holtzclaw, Susan Ker-Seymer and George Galbreath. Also included are some especially juicy, baroque-flavored still life photographs by Brooke Reid.

Opens March 14

Aineki Traverso: Narcissus’ Pagoda at Wolfgang Gallery. The recent Artadia and SEEN Award winner shows large-scale paintings, incorporating installation work as well.

March 29-May 3

Ignacio Michaud at Sandler Hudson. Chilean-born Michaud’s paintings capture a raw psychological primitivism based on intuition and naive mark-making.

Pairs well with…

Other events you might enjoy.

If the triple solo shows at Mason Fine Art intrigue you, don’t miss Chris Aluka Berry speaking with Tokie Rome-Taylor about his book Affrilachia: Testimonies (February 1) … Author Imani Perry speaks with WABE’s Rose Scott about Perry’s new book Black in Blues at The Carter Center (February 6) … Speaking of blue, the recently departed David Lynch is celebrated with a screening of the 1986 classic Blue Velvet at the Tara (January 31) … Classical gets popular with Vitamin String Quartet playing Taylor Swift, music from Bridgerton and more (February 5) … Arty costumes and tech touches are on display for adults and kids in Doctor De Soto at the Alliance Theatre (Through March 2) … 8-time Suzi Award-winning Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 is back by popular demand for its third run at Horizon Theatre Company (Through February 23).

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Next week’s Arts Agenda: Classical music