Kravets Wehby Gallery is pleased to present The Venus Crusades, a solo exhibition by Maria Yolanda Liebana, on view from April 24 to May 23, 2025. Join us for the opening reception on Thursday, April 24, from 6-8pm. Timed to coincide with Frieze Week, The Venus Crusadesmarks Maria Yolanda Liebana’s highly anticipated return to the gallery with her second solo exhibition. The new works explore fantasy, nostalgia, and maximalism, drawing on the complexity of motherhood, the tension of identity, and the power of escapism.

Taking inspiration from the myth of Venus and the dance floor as a site of liberation, Maria transports viewers into a realm where indulgence is reclaimed, conventional Christian ideals of femininity are subverted, and the struggle for expression unfolds as a central narrative. Drawing on Jorge Luis Borges’ notion of The Aleph, a point in space that contains all other points, Maria's work invites viewers to explore the infinite possibilities of identity, where every version of oneself can exist simultaneously; where Venus and the maternal coexist.

The Venus Crusades references divine archetypes, from the Virgin Mary to contemporary pop divas, while embracing fantasy as a space of freedom. Since becoming a mother in 2023, Maria’s work often confronts the experience of FOMO. The exhibition intertwines this anxiety with themes of gluttony. Disco culture, dance floors, and private gardens recur throughout the work, representing spaces for escape.