The Poetic Truth of Liberty Enlightening the World

Liberté éclairant le monde: Liberty Enlightening the World through August 22 in Arts District Los Angeles with Taraneh Hemami, Wakana Kimura, Preetika Rajgariah, Reyah, Gabby Severson, Lien Truong and Sanjay Vora

The thematic weight of Patricia Sweetow Gallery’s exhibition Liberty Enlightening the World might seem daunting. As artists we are often asked to delve into the significance of our work, and yet, how do we explain what runs through our veins? How do we articulate the irony of the ways of the colonizer, the oppressor, whose words speak a truth and yet their actions speak in the banality of evil? Big stuff. In this exhibition I found tenderness, beauty and strength. 

Reclaiming History: Finding the Poetic Truth

Not because the artists are overtly trying to tell us something, but because their experiences in life, their honesty and rawness is articulated with such dexterity and poetry. Often a hard line to traverse. As in all group shows there were some works that stood out to me more than others, but that’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to let you know that in these times of deep divisions and genocide, it is the artists in all of their wonder who will articulate the experience. In this way history can be told with truth, without the lies of the few who call themselves the keepers of culture and histories.

A Language of Grace: Liberty Enlightening the World

I highly recommend seeing this show even if you don’t normally visit art galleries, because in these times we need the language of art and poetry to truly express that which cannot be said with mere words. And this exhibition does that with so much grace and compassion. I loved it and will definitely go back to soak up more.

Exhibition Details:

• Where: Patricia Sweetow Gallery, 1700 South Santa Fe Avenue, Suite 351, Los Angeles.
• When: July 18 – August 22, 2026.