From Fragments to Walls: Closing One Show, Opening Another

Sunday marks the closing reception for "The Architecture of Perception" at The Los Angeles Makery, and I'm feeling all the emotions. Three weeks of watching people interact with my fragments, build their own sculptures from my cut-up past, find meaning in the chaos Julie O'Sullivan and I created together—it's been transformative in ways I didn't expect.

But endings are also beginnings, and I'm already deep in preparation for what comes next.

The Closing: July 27, 4-6pm

If you haven't made it to see "The Architecture of Perception" yet, this Sunday is your last chance. Come play with the "Mechanism of Change" fragments one more time, experience Julie's joyful LA frequencies, be part of the ongoing conversation about how we construct meaning from the raw materials of experience.

There's something powerful about closing receptions—they hold both celebration and mourning, gratitude and letting go. These pieces have lived on the walls at The Makery for three weeks, but they'll continue living in new configurations, in the memories of everyone who rearranged the fragments into their own visions.

What's Next: The Other Side

While I'm saying goodbye to one show, I'm already deep in creation mode for the next. In August, I'll be part of "The Other Side" at Garel Fine Art Gallery in Manhattan Beach—an exhibition curated by Robin Jack Sarner that centers around recovery from eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and the journey to body acceptance.

This show hits close to home in ways that both terrify and excite me.

My Imaginary Wall

Lately I've been thinking about what holds me back from certain things in my life. There's this imaginary wall I can't seem to break down or climb over. It's invisible but incredibly real—the thing that stops me from taking care of myself, from fully living, from believing I deserve good things.

In my art practice, there are many times where I look at my work and have no idea what I did or how I got there. It's that aha moment when something gets triggered and suddenly everything makes sense. When I thought of this installation, the title was immediately clear: "My Imaginary Wall."

Making the Invisible Visible

These colorful dots you're seeing in the photos? They're test pieces for a window installation I'm creating for Garel. Each dot represents a moment of hope, a step toward healing, a crack in that invisible barrier. When light hits them just right, they create rainbows and reflections—kind of like how our struggles can transform into something unexpectedly beautiful.

For so long, that wall felt impenetrable. But maybe it's not a wall at all. Maybe it's more like glass—something I can see through, something that can hold beautiful things, something that lets light pass through.

This piece is about making the invisible visible. About honoring the barriers we face while also celebrating the light that gets through.

Dots Everywhere

Look, I've been cutting up everything for ten-plus years—paintings, photos, my own hair. Making space by destroying. But now I'm at that threshold where destruction meets reconstruction, and these little circles are about to become something bigger.

Each dot is a tiny act of defiance against the voices that say bodies like mine shouldn't take up space. They're going to multiply, spill beyond boundaries, refuse containment. My imaginary wall is transparent, penetrable—made of light and color, not concrete. Which means it can be deconstructed dot by dot, breath by breath.

"My Imaginary Wall" Testing 123...

The Other Side Details

"The Other Side" opens August 2nd and runs through August 30th at Garel Fine Art Gallery in Manhattan Beach. This exhibition is about recovery, body positivity, and the complex journey of learning to exist authentically in our bodies. It's curated by Robin Jack Sarner and features incredible artists who understand that healing isn't linear, that art can be medicine, that making the invisible visible is sometimes the most radical act of all.

I'll be showing my imaginary wall work alongside pieces by @brittanykiertznerfineart @jleishmanart @anjalepaints @mona39art @lynniesterbaart @amylyu_studio @plaidbraids @mderoma.art @kileyames @monicamarksart and others who are brave enough to share their journeys through art.

Baby Steps and Breakthrough

My imaginary wall is in my head. It's something I've built up that stops me from doing things I want, need, or have to do. Every day I work on breaking through, but sometimes it gets built higher and higher. I know it's about baby steps, sometimes two steps forward and one step back.

But this is my way of working through it, figuring out what's next. Making art from the very thing that holds me back. Turning obstacles into opportunities for light to get through.

Something's brewing. The breakthrough is coming. And it's going to be beautiful.

"The Architecture of Perception" Closing Reception Sunday, July 27, 4-6pm The Los Angeles Makery - Subterra Gallery 533 S Los Angeles Street

"The Other Side" August 2-30, 2025 Garel Fine Art Gallery, Manhattan Beach Reception details TBD - More info to come

Come see what happens when we make the invisible visible, when we turn our struggles into light.

Aleka and Dellis working intensely building new things at the Los Angeles Makery.