Erica Ryan Stallones' practice centers on both research and intuition. Her previous bodies of work have often been site responsive and grounded in a sense of collaboration and experimentation that leaves room for the viewer to interpret, even when the themes are deeply personal in nature. Previous works have included intimate paintings and audio narratives stemming from historical, mythological and contemporary accounts of extraordinary encounters (Visitation Station, 2020) and a series of paintings and digital video works that explore the physical and symbolic connections between mind, body, spirit and matter through the language of our Solar System (Star Deck Academy, 2017).

In Three's a Crowd the artist presents a new body of paintings that explore themes of gatherings, feelings of alienation inherent in motherhood, and the fluid nature of identity. Cults and abduction scenarios, unique outliers in the sense that human connection, become the grounds to explore these feelings. The eight paintings in the exhibition examine the unavoidable expansion of the self, questioning what happens when one and two become three or more. Each work is a world in and of itself, capturing the tension between individuality and collectivity, blurring the boundaries between self and others that accumulate when we gather — mirroring the transformations often experienced within familial and communal contexts.

The exhibition will feature Ryan Stallones’ most innovative paintings to date. Her attention to composition, color, and detail demonstrates a mastery of painting that balances emotional depth with technical brilliance. Known for her exceptional control of light, shadow, and space, Ryan Stallones creates dreamlike worlds where figures emerge from and dissolve into layered forms.

There we were, waiting, 2024 presents ancient figures bathed in celestial light. The work evokes a previous series of paintings by the artist where the mythologized accounts of others provided the narrative structure, but here themes of inheritance and continuity become central as the work zooms in on the figures. The otherworldly artifacts represent the lineage of human history—a lineage passed down through generations, like the role of the mother.

A cosmic beam of light may symbolize the connection between the individual and the universal, akin to the way parenthood links generations. The painting explores family as more than a biological role; it is a continuum of history, culture, and memory, much like preservation of sacred artifacts.

In Do you have kids?, 2024, a group of school children peer into a cosmic glowing light. Does the piece evoke the protective and nurturing aspects of parenthood, the unforeseen and often surreal nature of childhood gatherings, or both? The childrens’ gazes are drawn toward the unknown and the cosmic glow hints at an expansive potential — a gathering that extends beyond its immediate members to become a larger community. In these paintings, space is tight — the gatherings are intimate yet