ART ON VIEW NOW | LOVELY LETTERS | INDRA LOVELY | ST. THOMAS

SHOW DESCRIPTION:

Lovely Letters by Indra Lovely is a series of abstracted compositions that move between memory and material, translating  emotional and sensory landscapes into layered visual form. Through textured surfaces, gestural line work, and saturated color fields, the artist constructs works that feel at once intuitive and deeply rooted—echoing the rhythms, atmospheres, and dreamy experiences of Caribbean life.

Rather than depicting place directly, these works operate as impressions—fragmented recollections of environment and identity that emerge through process. Hints of  light and the vibrancy of cultural tradition surface and dissolve within  compositions, creating a visual language that resists literal interpretation while remaining  tied to the Virgin Islands. Each piece holds a physical presence shaped by mixed media layered to mirror the complexity of memory itself.

Indra Lovely’s multidisciplinary approach is evident in the fluidity of these works, where painterly gestures intersect with photographic sensitivity and material experimentation. The result is a body of work that feels both contemporary and familiar—an abstract vernacular grounded in Caribbean perspective.

In Lovely Letters, the gallery becomes a space of recognition. Viewers are invited into a field of shared experience, where personal histories and collective memory converge, and where the essence of home is not defined by image, but by feeling.

—The Curators, 81C, 2026

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Lovely Letters is a visual collection of love letters to my home — St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Through abstraction, layered textures, line work, and mixed media, this body of work reflects the sensory and emotional landscape of growing up Caribbean. These pieces are not literal depictions, but impressions — fragments of memory, atmosphere, rhythm, and place translated into color and form.

This exhibition is rooted in the everyday moments that shape island identity: the familiarity of neighborhood streets, the cadence of local conversation, the vibrancy of Carnival season, the stillness of coastline views, and the quiet intimacy of community. Each work becomes a letter — a gesture of gratitude, nostalgia, and reflection — honoring experiences that feel both deeply personal and collectively shared.

I approach these compositions intuitively, allowing material, movement, and memory to guide the process. By blending contemporary abstraction with subtle references to uniquely Caribbean visuals, I aim to create works that feel fresh and reminiscent — inviting viewers to recognize pieces of their own story within mine.

Ultimately, Lovely Letters is an offering. It is a celebration of place, belonging, and the emotional imprint of home. Through this exhibition, I hope viewers experience moments of recognition, warmth, and connection — reminders that the landscapes and communities that raise us continue to live within us, no matter where life carries us.

ARTIST BIO:

Dominique I. Lezama, professionally known as Indra Lovely, is a St. Thomian multidisciplinary artist whose work is deeply influenced by the culture, history, and vibrant landscapes of the Virgin Islands. An alumna of All Saints Cathedral School and the University of the Virgin Islands, she has cultivated a dynamic creative practice that spans painting, digital art, photography, modeling, fluid art, resin, and textured mixed media.

Her work is characterized by bold color relationships, layered surfaces, and expressive line work that together evoke introspection, curiosity, and emotional resonance. Through an intuitive and experimental approach, Indra Lovely creates visual poetry that merges contemporary abstraction with subtle references to Caribbean identity and lived experience.

As an evolving creative, she continues to explore new materials and conceptual frameworks while maintaining a commitment to storytelling, connection, and artistic authenticity.

GALLERY HOURS | St Thomas

TUES-SAT, 5-8PM

FREE ADMISSION | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

PRIVATE TOURS OFFERED

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain by Emily Braswell (Strawberriemilk) and Jenna Rees (Warmmilkwithsugar) unfolds as a warped cinematic universe where painting, video, and sculpture collapse into a single, unstable narrative field. Centered around a fictional 1980s movie star in a meta-perspective of invented lore from parallel storylines, the work drifts between past and present, constructing a world where time folds in on itself and meaning emerges through fragments rather than sequence.

Hybrid airbrush and traditional paintings operate as imagined film artifacts: posters, stills, and visual residues from fictitious movies that are rendered with a hyper-saturated, almost synthetic clarity. Their surfaces oscillate between softness and precision, evoking the tactile nostalgia of analog media while simultaneously referencing the flattened glow of digital imagery. Sculptural interventions punctuate the space with quiet absurdity, grounding the work in physical form while amplifying its psychological tension.

The accompanying video component extends this atmosphere into motion, offering a disjointed, voyeuristic glimpse into the interior lives orbiting this fictional figure. Rather than resolving into narrative, the work lingers in mood—an uneasy balance of humor, longing, and quiet unpredictability.

Drawing from the American south small-town culture and nostalgia for the sensationalized monolithic star style fame of pre-internet times, Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain constructs a world that feels both intimately familiar and fundamentally distorted. It is less a story than a condition—one where fantasy and perception continuously rewrite one another.

— The Curators, 81C, Charlotte Amalie, 2026

ARTIST STATEMENT

"Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain is a sequel exhibition in the Krankie series. Krankie is a conceptual body of work that merges painting, video, and sculpture through installation. The concept is rooted in an imagined world that explores themes of anxiety around money and obsession with fame through a fictional story of an 80s movie star and his super fans.

The story begins in 1989 in a small southern town somewhere in rural America. Two unacquainted neighbors share a fanatic obsession with a hyper famous actor of their time, who goes by the stage name: Krankie. The two super fans live seemingly mundane lives, but are both plagued by mental and financial challenges. They find an escape in their hyper fixation on Krankie. 

Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain serves as a situational study that zooms in on the aged 80s movie star reflecting on his prime in this fictional world where time bends. He is able to revisit 1989 and leave treasures for his troubled super fans. In this mysterious warping of time, money from his Hollywood fortune becomes tangible for his super fans back in the peak of his prime."

-Emily Braswell & Jenna Rees 

ABOUT THE SHOW

Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain expands the evolving Krankie universe into a dual-location experience spanning 81C in historic Charlotte Amalie and to the XIIID Research and Strategy Innovation Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas campus. 

This two-part presentation deepens the narrative and physical experience of the work—bridging gallery and academic environments to create a layered, immersive encounter with contemporary art in the Virgin Islands.

At 81C, the exhibition unfolds as a fully realized environment, where painting, sculpture, and video merge into a cohesive sensory installation. Visitors enter a world shaped by reimagined retro visuals, nonlinear storytelling, and abstraction executed with realistic precision—an uncanny space where narrative operates more as atmosphere than linear story.

At the UVI Innovation Center, Krankie II activates XIIID’s Zen Room as a dedicated cinematic environment, highlighting the exhibition’s cinema components and offering viewers engagement with multi-screen moving-image. Accompanied by a selected sculptural element positioned within this academic and research-driven setting, the activation invites students and the public to encounter the work through curiosity, reflection, and shared viewing, ultimately driving visitation to the full scale show at 81C in Charlotte Amalie. 

Together, this dual-location experience reflects a shared commitment between 81C, XIIID, and UVI to advance student engagement through arts production in the VI.  The show highlights the role of creative immersive experiences as an incubator for intellectual infrastructure—capable of constructively shaping how we observe, engage, and relate to fine arts.

ARTIST BIO

Emily Braswell and Jenna Rees are collaborative art partners that work under the aliases Strawberriemilk & Warmmilkwithsugar. Their practice centers on painting, accompanied by video, installations and sculptures. Their lifelong friendship has fueled their collaborations for over a decade. Their creative partnership began at UNCSA, a visual arts boarding school, in North Carolina, that they attended on merit-based scholarships. They went on to pursue higher education, then reconnected in Atlanta, where they gained recognition for pairing their paintings with conceptual installations. Their work has a performative quality from their joint persona — layered with humor, matching attire and sensory experiences for their audiences. After recently relocating to the Caribbean, they exhibited in the Virgin Islands and Los Angeles. The duo now continues their studio practice in San Juan, PR. 

EXHIBITION SPONSORS INCLUDE:
Foundation For Contemporary Arts, One Communication, UVI, VI Museum of Art, VICA, XIIID 

“St. Thomas artist Siyandi’s premiere full scale solo exhibition of sculpture installations and works on paper entitled analogous (uh·na·luh·gus) explores an axis of technology, creativity, and environmental impact through a multifaceted collection that contrasts old and new media, while questioning the concept of innovation and related consequential results. analogous argues for an advancement in conversation on viewer expectations, intention, and perceived meaning derived from contemporary Caribbean artists working at the edge of international spotlight. Siyandi’s breakout show stands to invigorate, inspire, and challenge an emerging art market straining for release from traditional formulas, delivering a dynamic range of interpretations, constructs, and dreams.” -The Curators, 81C, March 2025, Charlotte Amalie. 

GALLERY HOURS | St Croix

7 Days | General Operating Hours

FREE ADMISSION | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC