March 1st, 2025 - April 19th, 2025 ​

Opening Reception: 6 PM - 9 PM, Saturday, March 1st, 2025

An Evening with Phoenix S Brown & LaNia Sproles: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, Friday, March 7th, 2025 

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Hawthorn Contemporary is pleased to announce the opening of And All I Know Has Vanished Again by Phoenix S. Brown. 

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"And All I Know Has Vanished Again explores the tension between the seen and unseen, the physical and the psychological, the real and the symbolic. Through acrylic paintings on canvas and plastic, alongside drawings, Phoenix S. Brown constructs a landscape where personal mythologies unfold, shaped by serpentine forms, symbolic gates, and shaped canvases.  

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Hands reach and grasp, marking acts of agency and surrender, while grids and fences suggest both protection and limitation. Symbols, drawn like sigils, function as personal wards, imbuing the work with a quiet but potent power. Urban landscapes emerge in fragmented glimpses, intertwined with organic elements—rivers, tornadoes, and sunspots—traces of movement and transformation that reflect the instability of psychological space. An imagined still life of a crystal ball hints at what lies beyond the present, while sumac, fire, and shadow evoke cycles of renewal and decay.

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Among these works are what Brown describes as "tantrum-throwing" images—gestural, raw expressions of release and resistance. This body of work aligns with her ongoing exploration of personal and collective transformation through mystical and natural symbols, inviting viewers to reflect on what it means to let go, set fire, and rebuild."

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Phoenix S. Brown is an interdisciplinary artist and musician based in Milwaukee, WI. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, she earned her BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design with a minor in art history. Brown has received recognition through the 2024 Wisconsin Emerging Artist Achievement Award, a 2021 gener8tor Art grant, and has participated in residencies at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati (2021), Yale Norfolk School of Art (2018), and Vermont Studio Center (2024).

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Her work has been highlighted in solo exhibitions at Wright Museum of Art in Beloit, WI, and Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, WI. Her paintings and drawings have also been presented at NADA Miami, Other Art Fair Chicago, and Untitled Art Fair Miami Beach. Her practice has been featured in New American Paintings.

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