Observer’s Guide to the Must-See Gallery Shows Now On in New York

For her debut show with Yossi Milo New York, Cuban-American artist Alina Perez unveils a striking new suite of pastel works that push her ongoing exploration of familial narrative and the ways imagination can serve as a conduit for healing and action. Rich in symbolism and erotism, her vibrant scenes pulse with an emotional urgency, animated by the raw, gestural energy of charcoal and pastel. Perez intuitively surrenders to both her personal and collective subconscious, drawing from a reservoir of images and existential tensions to construct her own imagined universe. Her compositions act as both recollections and releases, channeling suppressed traumas and present emotions onto paper. The result is a body of work imbued with an almost unbearable humanity, oscillating between passion, love and violence while relentlessly searching for a deeper, more intimate connection to ancestral spirituality and the natural world.