Drawing inspiration from his neighborhood, Watie White records a seemingly tranquil urban farm. Disrupting this peace is a large rooster in the center, flapping through the air, talons outstretched toward a much smaller bird in front of him. Titled Ganymede, a reference to Greek mythology, White recontextualizes an ordinary scene from daily life as a moment of mythic proportions.

According to myth, the young prince Ganymede caught Zeus’s eye with his tremendous beauty. Zeus, in turn, transformed into a large eagle, captured Ganymede, and brought him to Olympus where he would become the cupbearer to the gods and Zeus’s lover.

Watie White’s Omval series explores memory, decay, and transformation through intricate woodcuts. Inspired by Rembrandt’s The Omval, White examines the beauty and fragility of landscapes shaped by human influence and nature’s resilience. The exhibition features Ganymede, reimagining the myth of a mortal taken by the gods, and Regresso ad Uterum (“Return to the Womb”), symbolizing rebirth and introspection. White’s precise contrasts of light and shadow highlight the textures of each scene, reflecting on the delicate balance between growth and decline. These works invite reflection on our roles as caretakers of nature and the interconnectedness of place and memory. 5/25