Beauty We Forge

January 17 - March 8, 2025

OPENING RECEPTION & DIALOGUE | Friday, January 17, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Dialogue with the artists from 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM.

At the core of Natalie Kuenzi and Emmanuela Soria Ruiz’s artistic practices lies a profound reference to the natural world. United by this shared vision and integrating personal thematics, both artists reveal hidden marvels, offering the audience a fresh perspective that ignites curiosity and fosters a sense of wonder.

NATALIE KUENZI’s work challenges the traditional boundaries between high and low art, examining how these distinctions shape contemporary artistic practices. Using extracted materials to create her work, she focuses on the resilience of nature surrounding her, exploring its influence and significance in her creative process. This interplay intensifies the tension between the fixed and the free, drawing parallels between natural and supernatural forces.

Natalie Kuenzi received her BFA from Western Colorado University and her MFA from Temple University. She has exhibited at Anderson Center at Tower View, Red Wing, MN; Temple Contemporary, Philadelphia, PA; Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA; The Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington, DE; Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD; Thomas Hunter Project Space, New York, NY; Hales Project Room, New York, NY; District Clay Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Artspace New Haven, New Haven, CT; and Pewabic Museum, Detroit, MI. She was awarded the Brian Hirsh Ceramic Artist Award, at Western Colorado University. 

EMMANUELA SORIA RUIZ’s drawings and wall sculptures explore the concept of paratext, presenting a layered narrative that invites viewers to interpret their own meaning and response. Drawing inspiration from Baroque theatrical scenography, gardens, and choreographic notation, Emmanuela incorporates these elements into her sculptures (made from steel and printed fabrics) and her drawings (ink on paper). All these classical myths are retold in a way that resonates with the struggles of feminist liberation in the modern day. She traces a landscape of abundance and transformation—capturing the universe in continuous movement and the impact of women.

Emmanuela Soria Ruiz received her BFA from The Cooper Union and her MFA from The University of Pennsylvania. She has exhibited at F2 Gallery in Madrid, Spain; Oregon Contemporary Art Center in Portland, OR; the Cervantes Institute in Marrakech, Morocco; Palacio de los Condes de Gabia in Granada, Spain; The Cooper Union in New York, NY; National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, PA; RIVAA Gallery in New York, NY; Los Angeles Contemporary Archive in Los Angeles, CA; and Kunstraum Lüneburg in Lüneburg, Germany. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Illuminate the Arts Grant, the Acción Cultural Española Mobility Grant, the PennPraxis Design Fellowship, and the Sarah Cooper Hewitt Fund Prize for Excellence in Art. Her artist residencies include the Institute for Postnatural Studies in Madrid, Spain; the Flaherty Seminar in Brooklyn, NY; and The American Academy in Rome in Rome, Italy.

For all inquiries, please contact us at mail@pentimenti.com.  The gallery is free and open to the public.