Feeling different, feeling seen: Artists in ‘Other Visions’ find unity in diversity

Fourteen artists from Gallup and surrounding parts of New Mexico will present work this month in “Other Visions” at ART123 Gallery, an exhibition space managed by the nonprofit organization gallupARTS. The curators of “Other Visions” — Rachel Brown, Cherille Williams and Scott L. Williams — selected the work from an open call and designed the exhibition to celebrate diverse perspectives.

“Everyone you meet has a story within them that you haven’t heard, knows something that you don’t know and has seen something that you haven’t seen,” Brown said.

Cherille Williams said the idea for the show came from a conversation she had with her brother, Scott L. Williams, and their friend and fellow artist, Brown.

“It was a discussion about the differences in humanity and the unseen spectrum we all exist in,” she said. “We are all human, but at the same time, we experience the world so differently, especially with how we are internally.”

Cherille and Scott L. Williams, who are Diné, said they sometimes felt like outsiders growing up, even, at times, within their own culture.

“We are a matriarchal society, culturally, so everything’s run through the mother. In that sense, it’s very empowering,” Cherille Williams said. “But there’s some parts of my culture that are kind of restrictive.”

The siblings were raised by their grandmother, who died last year at the age of 98.

“She was my muse for so long, and my (photography) model and my inspiration,” Cherille Williams said.

At the same time, the young photographer felt limited by her grandmother’s rather conventional ideas about gender roles.

“Since I was a kid, I experienced body dysmorphia,” she said, “and something I’ve battled internally for so long is (the question of) ‘Am I feminine enough?’”

With “Other Visions,” she and her brother wanted to give a platform to artists who have struggled, for one reason or another, with not fitting in.

“It’s inspired by personal experiences of feeling different than the norm, outside of societal expectations or feeling ‘othered’ in some way,” Scott L. Williams said.

Scott L. Williams decided to become a full-time artist in 2019, during his senior year at the University of New Mexico’s Gallup campus.

“I attended a performance by another artist … about killing suicide with art,” he said. “It brought up a lot of issues … and that was the main turning point where I decided, you know what, I am not going to put what I love on the back burner. I’m going to pursue what I love doing, which is expressing myself.”

A piece he created for “Other Visions” features an image of a skull, which he said represents both death and rebirth.

“It’s the rebirth of this passion and drive to define who I want to be, and how I want my future to look like,” he said.

The 14 artists in the show work in a variety of media, including painting, photography and mixed-media collage. They all deal with otherness in their work, but from a number of perspectives. Some confront sexism or homophobia, while others examine religious intolerance and ageism.

“I cannot do justice to the artists, in terms of their perspectives,” Cherille Williams said. “So, I’m looking forward to the artists’ talk to hear more about the artworks, because it’s hard to explain another person’s artwork without overstepping.”

Several of the artists, including the three curators, will discuss their work at the gallery on Friday, Jan. 16. The talk is free and open to the public.

“It’s a really different experience when you come in person to a show and maybe see the artists and talk with them about their work and what inspired it,” Scott L. Williams said. “Just being around a community of people who support the arts, and being able to talk with other people who have similar personal or lived experiences … is an incredible thing.”

He believes anyone who feels isolated or alone can find connection through art.

“Art gives you an outlet to reach somebody who might need it the same way you needed it, when you needed it most,” he said.

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the Albuquerque Journal. He covers music, visual arts, books and more. You can reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com.