Media Contact:
Timothy Brown
Hillyer Director
hillyerdirector@artsandartists.org

PRESS RELEASE

The Oracle Said “Be Still,” curated by Renée Stout, and Newly Selected Artist, Shamila Chaudhary, October 7–October 29, 2023. The opening reception is Friday, October 6 (“First Friday”), 6 to 8 p.m

The Oracle Said, “Be Still.”

Renée Stout, curator

“During the height of Covid, I created a print that featured a disembodied head (the ‘oracle’), in which it suggested in a speech bubble that we should ‘be still.’ In that stillness I had hoped that we would all take the time to care for ourselves, reassess our lives and re-focus on the things that are most important.”

— Renée Stout

Following the premonition of the “oracle,” Stout chose not to place importance on showcasing the featured artists’ most recent works. Instead, she selected works by the artists that collectively evoke a variety of thoughts, moods, and feelings that can be articulated with words like reflective, wistful, introspective, pensive, playful, forlorn, spiritual, and joyful.  

Pondering the works, Stout experienced moments of reverie, solace, escape, and a deep sense of longing for something undefinable. In many instances, the titles of the works offer portals into their own narratives and trajectories. It’s that quiet, undefinable, and elusive thing, simultaneously serendipitous and melancholy, to the point of bittersweetness that Stout was aiming to present to the viewer to muse upon in their own way, to hopefully find some peace within the stillness.

Featured Artists 

Cheryl Edwards
Sharon Farmer
Cianne Fragione
Adrienne Gaither
Elaine Qiu
Ellyn Weiss
Joyce Wellman
Trevor Young

About the Curator

Renée Stout received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1980. Based in Washington, DC, she is the recipient of awards from several institutions, including the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, and was awarded the Driskell Prize by the High Museum of Art. She was a 2018 recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art. Stout has shown throughout the US, and her work is in several national and international museums and private collections. She is an avid roller skater and perfume collector with over 300 bottles of contemporary and vintage scents. 

Shamila Chaudhary

Attention Surplus Disorder

The 9/11 attacks gave the US government and Americans a lot to think about. Our government reacted with a forceful response but many citizens did not fully anticipate how a new era of war would reshape what it meant to be an American. Chaudhary saw this up close while working for over a decade in national security jobs in the US government. When she left government in 2011, she created the paintings in this exhibit to explore the impact of two decades of war on America’s sense of self. The exhibit’s title, Attention Surplus Disorder, refers to the disordered state of mind experienced by Americans after 9/11 and the surplus of attention on fear. While Chaudhary has written extensively about these issues, painting offers her a new medium to contemplate them in and presents alternative methods of communicating how war reshapes the way Americans see themselves and others.

About the Artist

Shamila Chaudhary is a foreign policy professional who worked in the US Department of State, US Agency for International Development, and the White House National Security Council. After working for over a decade in the US government on policy issues related to the 9/11 attacks, Chaudhary began to explore policy issues through the creative process. A mostly self-taught multimedia artist, she studied photography at The George Washington University Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, co-edited the documentary photography book UnPresidented: The Inauguration of Donald J. Trump and the People’s Response, and served as president of the Board of Directors for “Focus on the Story,” an organization using visual storytelling to highlight critical issues, bridge cultural gaps, and spark social change. At Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, she served as executive director of “The Big Picture,” a forum exploring international affairs through arts and culture.

Exhibition Content

Visit Hillyer’s upcoming exhibitions to learn about the featured exhibitions in October 2023.

Image Credits (Left to Right): 

Sharon Farmer, Beatrice Fergerson 1, 1991, silver gelatin print; Shamila Chaudhary, The Day of Judgment, Part 2, 2020, water-based paint on gesso board, 6 x 24 in.

International Arts and Artists at Hillyer

Founded in 2006, IA&A at Hillyer (formerly Hillyer Art Space) is the Washington-area initiative of International Arts & Artists. Through its innovative and often provocative exhibitions and public programs, IA&A at Hillyer champions local and international artists at all stages of their careers.IA&A at Hillyer collaborates with artists, cultural organizations, and embassies to develop and host creative, thought-provoking programs that push our understanding and reflect the uniqueness of DC as an international capital. Whether you live in Washington or are visiting, IA&A at Hillyer invites you to encounter contemporary art from the US and around the world in a welcoming, and intimate gallery setting.Hillyer is open Tue-Sun from 12p – 6p (5p on weekends).