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Detweiler unveils new exhibition at Paradigm

Caption: Sara Detweiler I want My MTV, 2022. Oil and embroidery thread on canvas, 46”h x 34”w.

Paradigm Gallery + Studio, 746 S. 4th St., will host a new exhibition Memory Palace: Down the Rabbit Hole, by Philadelphia artist Sarah Detweiler.

Opening Sept. 23, Detweiler’s second showing of work at Paradigm explores new themes of nostalgia and sentimentality by revisiting her own childhood and adolescent memories. The exhibition will feature the artist’s first installation works as well as paintings with hand-stitched embroidered elements. Detweiler’s depiction of shrouded figures continues throughout this body of work, transforming her subjects into embodiments of the memories, moments in time and past experiences that inform her practice. 

The exhibition title refers to a mnemonic memorization technique known as the “Method of Loci” through which information is retained and retrieved by conscious mental association with a specific physical location. In the context of Detweiler’s work, each painting or installation functions as a “room” in the artist’s “memory palace,” with specific memories encapsulated therein. The visual representations of Detweiler’s memories are skewed from reality, like the memories themselves, from super-sized silly putty to hand-stitched static from the late-night glow of a television set. 

Memory Palace: Down the Rabbit Hole will have an opening reception from 5:30-8 p.m. on Sept. 23, and will be on view through Oct. 23. For more information, visit https://www.paradigmarts.org/.

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