INITIATION: EXODUS: Inaugural Group Exhibition

It is with great pleasure to introduce Musonium Gallery and our inaugural group exhibition INITIATION: EXODUS, a triumphant introduction of the gallery's program and much anticipated grand opening. Created and initially intended to open in late 2022 situated inside a former The Bank of Tampa branch building in Tampa, FL, Musonium Gallery has enthusiastically relocated to Palm Springs, CA for an inspiring new exhibition space in the Uptown Arts and Design District. This dramatic and distant departure from our initially intended Tampa flagship marks a pivotal shift in renewed energy and courage as Musonium embarks on this new journey. Quite literally, our own exodus. Works showcased in this exhibition hail from all across the world including: Spain, Italy, Belgium, England, Scotland, China, Japan, Philippines, Cuba, Canada and the United States. With a plethora of diverse styles, varying techniques and mediums, INITIATION: EXODUS brings together nuances of personal perspectives and various cultural influences.

The elegant, yet mysterious sculpture Cleo by Tim Roosen, features copper eyes with elaborate forged metal hair as well as welded elements creating an alluring metal maiden, where "a Gothic dream meets a Dieselpunk nightmare." Darwin Leon's The Rubenesque Paradox (inspired by Peter Paul Rubens' The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus) channels the old masters whilst bringing a unique contemporary flair to the forefront. Lorella Ragnatelli's sultry figurative painting, titled Torment and Ecstasy, demonstrates academic precision observed through the treatment of the human body in an in-between state of tension and relaxation, whilst echoing the dynamic of two lovers who grow together but whom can also grow apart if their passion is neglected. In Kevin Kuenster's provocative piece titled, Seduction, two love interests are depicted sharing cherries on tranquil waters as the swaying of the wooden boat brings them closer together, whilst the clouds behind them manifest into pictorial representations of their lust. Ginger's Don't grow up, It's a trap explore the surreal, where feline and feminine energies align to create metaphorical depictions of women's empowerment.