Potraits
Virtual Exhibition + Artist interview
Every person has a story, but not every story can be told through words. Sometimes, a face, a gesture, or an ordinary object can reveal something about a person that words cannot fully express.
Portraits, a virtual exhibition by Women in Arts Network, explores the many ways artists represent people and the experiences that shape them. Moving beyond physical appearance, the exhibition considers how portraits can express identity, emotion, memory, culture, and our understanding of ourselves and others.
Through a range of artistic approaches, participating artists interpret portraiture in ways that reflect their individual perspectives. Some works capture the likeness of a person, while others explore human presence through colour, symbolism, abstraction, and personal narratives.
Alongside the exhibition, an artist interview series offers a closer look at the people behind the artworks. Through these conversations, participating artists share their inspirations, creative processes, and personal connections to their work, allowing audiences to discover the ideas and experiences that shape their artistic practice.
Together, the exhibition and interviews offer an opportunity to explore not only the artworks, but also the thoughts and perspectives behind them.
Through Portraits, Women in Arts Network celebrates the many ways artists interpret the human experience and invites audiences to look beyond first impressions, discover new perspectives, and reflect on the stories that make each of us who we are.
Exhibiting Artists
Room 1
Erna Van Lith | Helen Stone | Himani Ishar Sindhwani | Hiske Bain | Irina Giallongo | Iryna Akimova | Jamie Mudrick | Jane Dede ar | Jane Raymond | Jenny Pfeifruck-Vass | Jie Colter | Josie Gearhart | Judy Hussein | Julie Berry | Justine Martinez | Kanasya Muklis | Karen Russell | Kaya Frantiska Coulombier | Kemey Lafond | Lana Vladi | Laura Doszhanova | Laura Henning | Leah Fletcher | Linda Post | Liraz Olmer | Louise Renée | Mara Blanco | Margret Pinger | Maria Jose Gutierrez | Maricruz Huerta | Marie McCarty | Marieke Rienks | Marina Biagini | Maristela Mitsuko Ono | Masako Toda | Maureen Daniel | Minoo Hassani Sadi | Morgane Parmentier | Nancy Jacey | Nanette Fluhr | Narcisse Rafati | Natalia Kisielewska | Natalia Starikova-Abud | Naz Ashjaei | Nina (Kristina) Hammarberg | Nora Gonzalez | Norma Ruffinelli | Oriane Meurant | Pamela Jones | Panayiota Gregorioy Gregoriou | Puja Khanna Duggal | Samantha Hatton | Samantha Stas | Sarah Bartlett | Sarah Rutherford | Shelby Goldstein | Shreya Shruti | Susan Grabel | Tania Tanev | Tatyana Mursalimov | Tetyana Halatek | Tone Elisabeth Halling | Tonya Davidova | Vicki Sullivan | Waltraud Morawitz | Yael Zakon-Bourke | Yaroslava Dombrovska | Zohar Tal Inbar
Room 2
Joanna Pilarczyk Radecka | Harpreet Wadhwa | Erika Nikkel | Emmeline Ensign | Emma James | Emily Zweibel | Diana Maria De La Encarnacion | DJ Matheny | Deganit Tzabari Karnieli | Daryl Nicholson | Daria Mazmanidi | Cynthia Sheeamalan | Cristina Chirila Chirila | Concepción Navarro | Courtney Panzer | Claar Van Leent | Cathy Abramson | Christina Lilith | Brigitte Melchior | Babette Hinterleitner | Ashley Rabanal | April Fretwell | Annette Nieuwkerk | Anat Michaeli | Alicia Marulanda | Alena Ptsjolko | Maristela Mitsuko Ono | Alana Joseph
Exhibition Note
What does it mean to capture a person in art? Is it enough to show a face, or is there something more that makes a portrait feel true to the person it represents?
For centuries, artists have turned to portraiture to preserve memories, express admiration, and explore identity. Yet a portrait has never been only about physical likeness. The details an artist chooses to include, the way a person is represented, and the feelings a work evokes can reveal far more than appearance alone.
Our identities are shaped by family, culture, personal history, relationships, and experiences that often remain unseen. Portraiture gives artists a way to explore these layers of human life, offering glimpses of who we are, how we see ourselves, and how others see us.
Portraits opens this subject to different interpretations. A portrait may depict a loved one, reflect a community, explore personal identity, or express an emotion that is difficult to put into words. It may be realistic or abstract, centred on a face or built around objects, gestures, and symbols. Each approach offers a different way of understanding human presence and experience.
Portraiture also asks us to consider how we see others. We often form impressions quickly, based on what we notice or believe we know. Art can challenge these assumptions, bring attention to overlooked experiences, and remind us that there is always more to a person than what first meets the eye.
Every portrait brings together different perspectives: the artist’s interpretation, the subject’s lived experience, and the viewer’s own understanding. In this meeting, an artwork can reveal something unexpected about the person portrayed, or even about the person looking.
At its heart, portraiture is an exploration of what it means to be human. It gives form to our need to remember, understand, and connect with one another. Portraits invites us to look beyond appearances and discover the many stories and experiences that shape us, reminding us that how we see people is often just as important as what we see.
