Thais Mather: Miss Universe

The work featured in her upcoming show taps into that sense of infinite space conjured by grief and the strength of imagination in a series of watercolor paintings depicting female forms through which viewers can catch a glimpse of the expanse of the cosmos. Its title — Miss Universe — plays a dual role, evoking the hyper-feminine performance of pageant queens and hinting at the feminine connection to the eternal.

Mather’s paintings bring the viewer along on this journey, offering a window into the illimitable and inviting her audience to probe what may lie in the deepest voids within themselves. “To anyone who feels broken, let yourself break all the way open — for the light, the space, the person who emerges is who you truly are,” Mather says. “Being at the edge of yourself, you see there is an entire other horizon you would have never otherwise found.”