Opening December 5th in our Members’ Gallery is Requiem for Gentileschi by Rena Warren.
This work was borne out of response to regressive shifts in gender politics and suppression of women’s rights; in the wake of #MeToo, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and war on DEI south of our border; and in response to an increase in racial tensions, a growing political divide, and ever-expanding chasm between the disenfranchised and emboldened elite. It also follows two recent works titled Cognitive Dissonance; Social Media Post #1 and #2; works that superimpose a benignly floral veneer over images of war, questioning a collective social gag order and state where a well-behaved citizen pays taxes, earn Likes, posts selfies and cats or the latest DIY; and where influencers lull us to sleep with self-care du jour; all amid horrific abuses of power and shocking global injustices. This work seeks to address the paralytic state of social discourse, where a call for empathy and humanity can earn one’s place on the institutional chopping block. Requiem for Gentileschi is a battle cry dedicated to the occupied and oppressed.
Requiem for Gentileschi will be available for viewing in our Members Gallery from December 5th to January 10th 2026!
Rena Warren is an artist, art educator, mother, gardener, cat lover and settler currently residing on the unceded and traditional territory of the Syilx Okanagan people (Kelowna). She moved to the Okanagan in 1991 to attend Okanagan University College where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. As a young mother, she went on to earn a post-degree in Education at University of Victoria. Since then, she has grown as an art educator, facilitating programs for a variety of arts groups and institutions including Cool Arts Society, the Kelowna Art Gallery, Lake Country Art Gallery and Okanagan College. In an evolving art practice, Rena works in large-scale oil portraiture inspired by gender identity and politics, international travels, and the microcosm of her home garden, often fusing her subjects with archetypal and mythological references.