Alumna Gina Werfel '79 in Solo Show 'In Context'

Alumna Gina Werfel ’79 is featured in the solo show In Context at the Prince Street Gallery. This show is on view from September 7 through October 2, 2021. 

Werfel’s work is known for “weaving fragmentary materials, including collage and stencils, into overall compositions. Her current paintings create a shallow space in which graphic marks exist in tension with naturalistic gestures that fade in and out of focus.” These abstract and energetic paintings use “rhythmic, calligraphic marks, rooted in her body.” Inspired by movement and an interest in other art forms, the gestural compositions “are informed by contemporary dance.” 

This show, which was planned for 2020, “includes paintings made for the show’s original date ... [and is] now combined with others produced during the pandemic.” Many of the paintings allude to water with various shades of blue and titles such as “Reef” and “Float.” This motif comes from Werfel’s daily practice as a swimmer in which she finds “in her body’s movement through water a metaphor for her immersive and agitated compositions.” 

Werfel’s work has appeared in many exhibitions throughout the US and abroad. Recent solo shows include the Coombs Gallery at American University of Paris, France; Korn Gallery at Drew University, NJ; Prince Street Gallery in New York; and the Mondavi Winery in Napa, CA. She has received residencies from the American Academy in Rome, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center in Italy, the Djerassi Foundation in California, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the International School of Painting in Montecastello di Vibio, Italy and Yosemite National Park.