Ochi Projects is presenting New York based artist Caris Reid here in LA for a new solo show running from April 13th  through May 21st: 

Healer. Feeler. Seer. Seen. consists of a series of paintings on panel created in Joshua Tree, California, that are informed by female archetypes of the healer, the healing and the energetic spaces created between them.

the artist during her time in the desert

Caris, did you have the narrative for this series before you were in the desert? Or was this a result of your recent (or perhaps a previous) time there?  

Caris Reid:  The concept for the show was born out of my interest in the healing arts, and a desire to give space to the archetype of the Healer and the act of healing itself at a moment in history when our collective wounds feel heavy. I spent the past four months in Joshua Tree, California, quietly connecting with my work and the environment around me, and really delving inward. The women depicted in the paintings appeared to me in a meditation and from the start I had a clear vision of what I was creating.

The show was further influenced by my research, specifically a book by anthropologist Barbara Tedlock called “The Woman in The Shaman’s Body.” Barbara has a unique perspective with a Ph.D. from Harvard Divinity School and as the granddaughter of a healer and herbalist. She spoke of the history of shamanism, and how despite the central role women played in that lineage, they are often left out of anthropological records or labeled as “wives to the shamans,” though their roles in ceremonies and within their communities were equal to their male counterparts. The women in my paintings are not necessarily shamans, but they are healers, and they are painted at a scale that makes them larger than life size. The physical space that they occupy and their unapologetic gaze at the viewer is given heightened meaning when considering the erased histories of female healers.

Caris Reid, "Matriarchal Matrix" 2017, Acrylic on wood panel

Pauli, how did you find Caris? What drew you to her work?

Pauli Ochi: I found Caris's work originally on instagram. Then we exchanged a few emails and she visited the gallery on a trip to LA last year. It was an instantaneous connection; I basically offered her a show on the spot. 

Mysticism, spirituality and magic are themes universal to humankind, yet are often not taken seriously within the contemporary art community. 

CR:  Most great works of art speak both to the intellect and the spirit and so many of the artists that the art world reveres: artists like Agnes Martin, Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian have drawn inspiration for their work from their spiritual practices. The particular labels you mentioned may be divisive, but the exploration implied by each of them seems fairly omnipresent within art history.

When and how did your spiritual path begin? When did painting become your medium as a form of expression?

CR:  My spiritual path started young; I grew up in family that was quite religious. At around 11 or 12, my belief systems started to take on a different shape from what I was initially taught. The sense of connection to something greater has always felt incredibly personal, and such an inward occurrence. The more time I spend delving into that energy, the less desire I have to label it. Painting feels connected to that practice and, is an extension of how I process and respond to both my inner world and the outer world. Part of the power of painting is it’s ability to transcend the limitations of language; it delves into a space that is more poetic, and less defined. Within painting, concepts that might be perceived as heady or challenging in written language can be more readily accepted.

Caris Reid, "Mourning Dove" 2017, Acrylic on wood panel

You seem to apply a graphic approach in your usage of symbols in your work. What iconography do you find reappearing in your work and why? 

CR:  I do. Most of the subjects I’m drawn to are ineffable and the graphic language of the paintings brings an immediacy and structure to those themes while still leaving them open ended. I keep an archive of symbols that I’m always adding to, though most I’ve never used in a painting. The symbols and sigils that are chosen for each painting is very intuitive. Some of the symbols have very specific personal meanings, others are commonplace, and some are more obscure. I want them to speak to the part of our brain that is beyond reason.

I'd love to hear about your Reiki practice and how you incorporate that into your work.

CR:  Reiki is rooted in the power of harnessing and directing energy. Since painting requires an enormous amount of focus, I find my training in Reiki has helped me to delve into the energetic space needed to make my work and paint for long periods of time. I tap into that energetic space when I paint.

The women in your work are the same but different. Is there a consistent trait within each person from painting to painting?

CR:  There is an intentional repetition that exists within the body of work I’ve been making over the last couple of years. Shapes appear more than once, and so do faces, which creates a familiarity and a hypnotic effect.  I often reference women in paintings I’ve made before, in newer works, creating a rhythm that exists like a pulse, over a period of time.

Caris Reid, "Eye on the Future" 2017, Acrylic on wood panel

For the show, in the downstairs gallery, Reid has created a series of “healers,” a community of women who, through symmetry, pattern and the symbols on and around their bodies, create spaces that explore femininity and give value to the act of healing. Stars, fruits, eyes, peace and infinity signs along with other iconography give each figure a specific significance and presence. Reid’s figures are informed by her research of female shamans and women in the healing arts, whose contributions are often undervalued historically.  Reid presents her figures with a bold confrontational gaze and at an enlarged scale.

Upstairs, Reid has constructed a space devoted to the merging of energies. A corresponding series of paintings exploring the repetition employed in both shamanistic trance and modern day healing techniques that inspire a calmed state of mind. The main female archetypal figures hanging downstairs are reproduced upstairs in a varying form. Their faces and body parts are replicated and repeated many times over, merging and converging to evoke a kind of hypnotic state. The upstairs gallery also features a space for visitors to sit and meditate.

Caris Reid, "Held II" 2017, Acrylic on wood panel

all photographs courtesy of Ochi Projects and Caris Reid

As an extension of the show, Reid has invited two healers, who work in the realm of the mind, to bring their practice into the gallery space:

Saturday, April 15th - The first workshop will address the conscious mind, with herbalist and Manifestation Advisor, Lacy Phillips of Free + Native. Lacy will share her philosophy and methodology of recognizing internal blocks that prevent us from evolving and moving forward, and will guide the group towards manifestation. Tickets are available here. (UPDATE: the workshop is sold out, but please see Free + Native's site for Lacy's many offerings) 

Saturday, April 29th - The second workshop will deal with the subconscious mind, as a Dream Life Hypnosis Salon led by Clinical Hypnosis Practitioner Shauna Cummins. Inspired by the ancient sleeping temples of Egypt, the workshop will involve a guided hypnotic trance, an automatic drawing and writing session and a discussion on the function and themes of dreams. Tickets available here.

Caris Reid : Healer. Feeler. Seer. Seen.

Opening reception Thursday, April 13th, 6 - 9pm

On view through May 21st

OCHI Projects

3301 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90018