PhxArt Members are invited to preview two new major exhibitions, Expanding Darshan: Manjari Sharma, To See and Be Seen and Laura Aguilar: Nudes in Nature, before they open to the general public on Saturday, December 16.

ABOUT EXPANDING DARSHAN: MANJARI SHARMA, TO SEE AND BE SEEN 

Organized by the Birmingham Museum of Art, Expanding Darshan: Manjari Sharma, To See and Be Seen showcases the remarkable work of contemporary artist Manjari Sharma, who has photographically re-imagined encounters with Hindu deities in temple settings with custom fabrication. These portraits are paired alongside historical sculptural objects from the collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art, many of which are on view publicly for the first time. By presenting these works together, the exhibition encourages dialogue about the longstanding, inextricable relationship between art and religion.  

ABOUT LAURA AGUILAR: NUDES IN NATURE 

Laura Aguilar: Nudes in Nature is the newest photography exhibition presented through the landmark partnership between Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Co-curated by the trustees of the Laura Aguilar Estate, Sybil Venegas and Christopher Velasco, the exhibition presents nearly 60 photographic works that shed light on the groundbreaking career of Laura Aguilar (1959–2018). Although underrecognized by the mainstream art world during her career, Aguilar expanded representations of historically excluded and marginalized groups of people from various communities across Los Angeles. The self-taught photographer eventually turned the camera on herself to consider the many factors that defined her identity as a Chicana and a lesbian who dealt with economic hardships, depression, and learning disabilities. Later in her career, she began to produce intimate self-portrait nudes in natural settings, creating various series within this framework that explore the inherent connections between nature and the female form. Laura Aguilar: Nudes in Nature brings together those works for the first time.