Portraits
Virtual Exhibition + Artist interview
Portraits
A portrait is often thought of as a picture of someone’s face. But how do we represent a person beyond their appearance? How can art express someone’s identity, memories, emotions, relationships, or experiences? And can a person’s story be told through an object, a place, a gesture, or an imagined figure? These questions open up a much wider understanding of what a portrait can be.
Portraits, a virtual exhibition by Women in Arts Network, brings together artists who explore these questions through their own ideas, experiences, and ways of seeing the world. Moving beyond physical likeness, the exhibition looks at portraiture as a way of understanding people and the many things that shape who they are. A portrait may represent a familiar face, reflect a personal memory, explore cultural identity, or communicate a feeling that is difficult to put into words.
The works in this exhibition show that there is no single way to make a portrait. Some artists focus on the details of a person’s appearance, while others use colour, symbols, objects, shapes, or abstraction to express something deeper. Some works may tell us about a particular individual; others may explore shared experiences, personal histories, or the ways we see ourselves and those around us. Each approach offers a different way to think about the connection between art and human experience.
Alongside the exhibition, a Virtual Exhibition + Artist Interview series gives audiences the opportunity to learn more about the artists and the thinking behind their work. Through these conversations, participating artists share their inspirations, creative processes, and personal connections to their chosen subjects. The interviews add another layer to the exhibition, helping viewers understand not only what they are looking at, but also the ideas and experiences that helped bring each work to life.
Together, the artworks and interviews invite us to look more closely and think beyond our first impressions. They remind us that people are never defined by appearance alone, and that art can reveal aspects of identity and experience that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Through Portraits, Women in Arts Network celebrates the many ways artists represent the human experience. The exhibition invites audiences to discover different perspectives, find meaning in unexpected details, and consider how a portrait can tell a story—not only about the person or idea being represented, but also about the artist who interprets it and the viewer who encounters it.
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.
