Discover Daniela Kovačić’s Seeing and Being Seen at T. Mari Gallery

April 26th through June 1st

Opening Reception is April 26th, 5 - 9PM

T. Mari Gallery, Chicago’s epicenter for visual storytelling and narrative artistry, is very proud to present ‘Seeing and Being Seen,’ a powerful new solo collection by Chile-born, Evanston-based figurative painter Daniela Kovačić. 

‘Seeing and Being Seen,’ on display from April 26 through June 1, portrays persons with disabilities and those who care for and about them — scenes of hope, captured with extraordinary intimacy and uncommon tenderness. T. Mari celebrates the launch of this deeply human and deeply humane exhibition with an opening reception taking place Saturday, April 26 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. 

‘Seeing and Being Seen’ follows five years after the arrival of Kovačić’s first child opened her eyes to a broader spectrum of human existence.

“[Childbirth] was a very strong experience. Cathartic. The kind of experience where it feels like life and death are right there together,” Kovačić says. “There were a lot of difficulties — not terrible, but there were difficulties, and that helped me see other realities. I wasn't aware of many realities before. I was very absorbed in my own reality. Motherhood changed me. It opened a lot of things in my head.”

Parenting consumed Kovačić in the months to follow, but when she returned to painting, top of mind were the emotions and insights pulsating throughout ‘Seeing and Being Seen.’ 

“I was thinking about [disability] a lot. ‘Why is it hidden? Who is it hurting? Why are we so afraid of it?’ That's what really bothered me. I didn't want to be afraid of it. I don't want my son to be afraid of it. I wanted it to be better somehow,” Kovačić says. “‘Seeing and Being Seen’ is about a community that we do not see. We do not see them because they cannot be out, because that's their reality. The environment is not adapted to them at all. We do everything for able-bodied people. We are definitely not inclusive, and so disability could be seen as something undesirable instead of something that is actually natural.”

Kovačić forged relationships with families and caregivers across Chicagoland in the course of creating the large-scale oil paintings that make up ‘Seeing and Being Seen,’ modeling each image in the show on real-world individuals and interactions. The collection keeps its focus on women and children, recurring figures throughout Kovačić’s career but rendered here with newfound, hard-fought empathy: her subjects range from a champion swimmer named Leah to Davina, the heart and soul of the unforgettable “Sunsets,” whose portrait Kovačić completed after the child passed.    

“I work from observation. What resonates with me is observation from real life,” Kovačić says. “[‘Seeing and Being Seen’] took me a long time because when I started, I didn't know anybody from the disability community.* I didn't know how to approach them. I wanted to be respectful, and I didn’t want to offend anyone. But when I start limiting myself way too much, then I'm not myself. So finally I was like ‘I'm just gonna go make mistakes and try to approach the subject.’ Finding that first family — the first people that were open to it — took me the longest.”

The culmination of the ‘Seeing and Being Seen’ series does not signal the conclusion of Kovačić’s relationship with the disability community, a global population that adds an estimated 8 million newborns each year. She plans to continue her work, although the specifics of the project’s next evolution remain to be determined.

Ezra, Oil on linen, 42” x 44”

Father and Son, Oil on canvas, 60” x 48”

“[‘Seeing and Being Seen’] made me less afraid,” Kovačić says. “I was very worried when I had my son. I was worried about the ‘What if…’ I want the easiest thing for him. I don't want him to have a difficult life, and with some disabilities, the challenges are different, and they can be way more steep. But I feel like I’m not afraid of it anymore. [Disability] is not some big ghost or monster, you know. Their lives are just lives, too. I want them to be seen.”

Kovačić was born and raised in Chilean Patagonia, and received her bachelor's degree from Santiago’s Universidad Finis Terrae. A series of group exhibitions preceded her first solo showcase, 2010’s ‘Versus.’ Kovačić then relocated to the U.S., earning her master's degree from the New York Academy of Art before settling in Chicago. She was one of the 10 finalists for The Bennett Prize in 2019, and two years later she was honored with the Eben Demarest Award, which provides financial freedom for individuals to devote themselves to work in the arts and archeology.

- Written by Jason Ankeny

*Per the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, a policy and action framework introduced in 2019, “People-first language is the most widely accepted language for referring to persons with disabilities. It is also the language used in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. People-first language emphasizes the person, not the disability, by placing a reference to the person or group before the reference to the disability… If in doubt, you should ask the person or group how they choose to identify. Indeed, persons with disabilities are not a homogeneous group, and they may self-identify in various ways. These identities should be respected and recognized.” 

For all media and sales enquiries, contact:

Tina Mari Rucker (Tina@TMariGallery.com)