Austin's spring art season blooms with exhibitions that explore memory, identity, and the spaces between reality and imagination. From Jiab Prachakul's intimate portraits of the Asian diaspora at The Contemporary Austin to Kristin Moore's atmospheric paintings of iconic Texas landmarks at Dimmitt Contemporary Art, artists are examining how personal histories and cultural displacement shape our understanding of place and belonging.
Several artists are also working at intersections of traditional and experimental techniques this season. Carl Hammoud's intimate drawings and paintings at Lora Reynolds Gallery mark a departure from his methodical past work, while at Georgetown Art Center, Neena Buxani manipulates pouring mediums and everyday tools to create unique dimensional natural landscapes.
Georgetown Art Center
Mark Greenwalt: I Spot Eye Spots— Now through March 6
Based in his background in field biology and fine arts, Greenwalt draws mutable figures that challenge conventional ideals of beauty and proportion. His works feature recurring anatomical motifs that develop organically on the surface, embodying cycles of growth and regeneration. As a professor and practicing artist based in Texas, Greenwalt brings his unique perspective on biological transformation and human spirit to this exhibition, where each drawing serves as a type of metamorphosis.
Neena Buxani: Where Real Meets The Imagined— March 21 through April 19
Neena Buxani creates vibrant dimensional worlds through unconventional techniques. Using a dynamic combination of pouring medium, acrylic paints, gold leaf, gouache, and collage, Buxani crafts dreamlike natural landscapes that blur the line between abstract and representational art. Her experimental approach involves manipulating materials with everyday tools like spoons, allowing spontaneity to guide her process.
Art for the People Gallery
Group Exhibition: A Spark of Wonder — Now through March 21
This exhibition brings together 39 artists in celebration of the city's dynamic creative spirit. Featured artists like Malti B Lee bring an international lens, while Daniel Trelenberg's distinctive hieroglyphic textural works add depth and intrigue. Zoee Xiao's minimalist watercolor and acrylic paintings infuse the show with vibrant color and joy.
Dimmitt Contemporary Art
Kristin Moore: Home State— Now through March 29
Kristin Moore presents a cinematic tribute to Texas through atmospheric architectural landscapes. Moore's paintings capture iconic locations in Houston and Austin that have shaped her journey — from early morning Shipley's donut runs to the vibrant cultural scenes of both cities. Her distinctive style transforms familiar Texas landmarks into ethereal scenes that blur the line between physical reality and memory.
Mexicarte Museum
Sarah Gonzales Busse: Changarrito Residency— Now through March 31
A San Antonio-based artist, Sarah Gonzales Busse, presents a series of natural dye serigraphs on reclaimed cotton fabric. Drawing from her Tejana heritage and global experiences, Busse's work explores human narratives through the lens of women and children set against abstracted landscapes. As both artist and mother, she merges traditional techniques with contemporary concerns, addressing cultural evolution, digital age dynamics, and environmental uncertainties.
Lora Reynolds Gallery
Carl Hammoud: Mise en Abyme — Now through April 26
Carl Hammoud presents an intimate collection of small-scale paintings and drawings that mark a striking departure from his usual methodical approach. This exhibition combines new subjects with Hammoud's signature motifs of swirling papers and stacked chairs. At the heart of the exhibition is a three-part drawing inspired by the artist's eight-year-old daughter, capturing both paternal devotion and the poignant passage of time.
The Contemporary Austin
Jiab Prachakul: Sweet Solitude— Now through August 3
In her first solo museum exhibition, Thai-born artist Jiab Prachakul presents five years of portraiture that challenges Western artistic traditions while celebrating Asian diaspora figures. The exhibition features intimate paintings of friends, cultural luminaries, and new work inspired by global waterways, demonstrating the artist’s ability to capture both personal connection and geographic displacement through richly textured canvases.
Unchained Art Contemporary Gallery
Juliette Lepage Boisdron:Tales in Ink— March 6-22
In her second Austin exhibition, Boisdron presents a captivating collection that transforms traditional Chinese rice paper into dreamlike stories. Using ink, acrylic, and occasional delicate stitching, the artist creates surreal compositions where faces become landscapes and hair transforms into playgrounds for miniature scenes of daily life. The exhibition showcases her signature style: large expressive faces, often featuring women, where blank spaces and penetrating eyes serve as anchoring points.
West Chelsea Contemporary
Opake x Haris Nukem: Dopamine + DisintegrationDopamine + Disintegration — March 8 through April 6
British artists Opake and Haris Nukem make their U.S. debut right here in Austin with a collection transforming pop symbols and portraits of trendy-looking women into images of ennui. Some of the images lose a sense of form, like Opake's deconstructed painting of Mickey Mouse; others look like algorithm catnip, like Nukem's photograph featuring a woman bathed in colorful pills and makeup. It's all getting at themes of "addiction, mental health, and the erosion of collective memory," according to the exhibition blurb.
Photo courtesy of The Contemporary Austin
At the Contemporary, Prachakul's exhibition Sweet Solitude displays her nuanced approach to portraiture.
