Maria Yolanda Liebana’s debut solo exhibition at Kravets Wehby Gallery will open on Saturday, April 23rd. Large, glamorous paintings are portals to idyllic, glittery paradises. Adorned with beads, paper collage, piped clouds, and gilded halos around the fierce figures, a sense of leisure infects the viewer, giving an instant shot of serotonin. They are enticing as they are a sensory overload. The women, although faceless, are powerfully poised, safeguarded by water, fences, rainbows, and space. They are enabled by women breaking barriers in history, lore, and pop culture. Each piece is infused with Liebana’s personal experience of self-liberation, celebration, and empowerment. The title Awakening refers to the permission granted to oneself to fully embody one’s potential.

Maria Yolanda Liebana is a first-generation Latinx artist based in New York City. Her artistic practice is shaped by her liminal ethnic status, underground cultures, and conventional sexist attitudes toward kitsch. Liebana holds a BFA in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute and an MFA in Studio Art from Maine College of Art.