The Duo Show opened on 10/10: a perfect date to reflect the duality of these two solo shows!

Guests and artists experienced the Trolley Barn Gallery’s fall flagship exhibition, co-curated by the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone Curators and guest curator, Indira A Abiskaroon, Curatorial Assistant at the Brooklyn Museum. Guests delighted in the opportunity to meet Kimmah Dennis and Marielena Ferrer, the artists behind “Capturing Echoes” and “Broken Monarchs.”

Dennis describes Chasing Echoes as “fusing inherited memories with [her] encounters of mobility, displacement, and assimilation, exploring diverse visual languages—painting, drawing, collage, and installation—and delves into personal, familial, and global storytelling.” Her pieces capture the delicate interplay between strength and vulnerability in young people, depicting their experiences with striking emotional depth.

Broken Monarchs by Ferrer creates a similar sense of immersive storytelling by inviting viewers to step into the fragile and resilient reality of the more than five thousand migrant children and infants separated from their parents. “As an immigrant myself, I believe in cultivating forms of everyday activism to contest social exclusion, so my art practice seeks to seize opportunities to educate others about migration,” Ferrer explains. “Broken Monarchs best showcases my thematic and methodological direction as an artist,” Ferrer adds, emphasizing the critical role of art in bearing witness to these harrowing events.Together, Dennis’ and Ferrer’s work sparks an essential dialogue about the roles humans have in nurturing or inhibiting the growth of the next generation. The Duo Show truly transforms the gallery into a space where themes of childhood, displacement, loss, and hope converge through Ferrer’s immersive installations and Dennis’ evocative mixed medium paintings. Each artist delves into the complexities of youth through selected mediums to explore how external forces shape identity and resilience in young people. The exhibit will run from October 10 – November 8, 2024.