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TRYON—Upstairs Artspace recently announced it will present “This Is How It Happened,” a solo exhibition by artist Margaret Curtis, on view from May 18 through June 27. The public is invited to a free opening reception on Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. 

With a title intentionally left open, suggestive, and enigmatic, “This Is How It Happened” invites viewers to draw their own conclusions, sparking curiosity and deeper engagement with the work. This exhibition will feature seven oil paintings, 12 drawings, and a series of six to eight monoprints, several of which were recently shown at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art.

Margaret Curtis (b.1965, Bermuda) is known for her layered narrative paintings, which examine power structures at both personal and societal levels through a feminist lens. Her work also addresses who has the power to make real change to solve existential societal challenges and who is excluded from and by those decisions.

A Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellow (2021–2026) and a finalist for the Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting, Curtis’ work resonates across generations. She first gained widespread attention in Marcia Tucker’s landmark 1994 exhibition Bad Girls at the New Museum in New York. Since then, Curtis has exhibited at The Brooklyn Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, and The Mint Museum, among others. Her work is featured in permanent collections nationwide.

Curtis, a Tryon resident, lives and works between North Carolina and New Mexico and is represented by Tracey Morgan Gallery in Asheville. 

Upstairs Artspace gallery is located at 49 S. Trade St. in downtown Tryon. For more information, visit upstairsartspace.org or call 828-859-2828.

 

Submitted by Megan Allen