Care Instructions: 
Work by Vanessa Barragão, Allison May Kiphuth,
 Nayan & Venus, and RAIR Philly
May 2 –  June 1, 2025

OPENING RECEPTION
Friday, May 2 • 6-8PM
RSVP here*
*Appreciated but not required

Paradigm Gallery + Studio is pleased to present Care Instructions, a collection of artists and makers across three continents that incorporate elements of reuse, recycling, and environmental awareness in their work.  With intentions for sustainability, each of these artists has developed their practice to include discarded or natural materials while engaging in active research and preservation efforts. These meticulously constructed versions of coral reefs, ocean depths, and aviary populations inspire the obligation to take care of the environment and combat single-use material culture. The exhibition is a showcase on how powerful design and material reuse in craftsmanship can be aesthetically pleasing. The artists aren't just actively charging the work to spread a message, they’re putting the message into practice and showing the spectacular results. 

Care Instructions will be on view on the second floor of the Paradigm Arts Building (12 N 3rd St) from May 2 through June 1, 2025, with a public opening reception on Friday, May 2nd from 6–8pm.

This exhibition will be presented alongside Kelly Kozma’s Watch Me Backflip and will feature a unique collaboration with RAIR Philly and designer Carl Durkow, who have crafted custom gallery furniture from reclaimed materials. Together, these projects exemplify the creative potential of reuse and sustainable design.

Generous support for this initiative with RAIR has been provided by the Tuttleman Foundation.

Vanessa Barragão

Vanessa Barragão is a Portuguese textile artist whose work reflects a deep commitment to sustainability and environmental preservation. She grew up in Albufeira, a coastal city in southern Portugal, where she now maintains her studio. Her art is strongly influenced by the beauty and fragility of the oceans and the natural ecosystems that surround her. Through the recycling of wool and synthetic fibers, Vanessa breathes new life into discarded materials, transforming them into textile works that evoke underwater landscapes and organic forms. Using ancestral techniques such as rya, crochet, and felting, she creates rich and dynamic textures that transport the viewer into a world inspired by marine biodiversity.

Her personal experiences play an essential role in her creative process. Childhood trips to the Caribbean, where she witnessed the decline of coral reefs, awakened an environmental awareness that is reflected in each piece she creates. For Vanessa, art is not just a form of expression but a tool for raising awareness about pollution, overconsumption, and the urgent need to preserve both the planet and endangered artisanal techniques. Each of her works is unique, unpredictable, and shaped by time, care, and passion, symbolizing the complexity and delicacy of the natural world. Through her work, Vanessa invites the public to reflect on the impact of their daily choices and embrace more sustainable practices. Her goal is to inspire a shift in mindset, promoting harmony between art, tradition, and environmental responsibility.

*Please email info@paradigm-gallery.com if you wish to be added to Vanessa Barragão's digital collector preview list for her upcoming collection, or submit your request HERE.*

Allison May Kiphuth

Allison May Kiphuth is an artist and lifelong nature enthusiast based in Maine. Kiphuth is known for her painstakingly assembled watercolor landscapes, often depicting serene and bucolic moments she experiences living in the Northeast.  Whether it is a favorite tree, birds in flight, or a romantic seascape, she documents every single detail in miniature form to call attention to the fragile and precious nature of her environment. She then hand-cuts her elements and arranges them with dimension and layers to create full pastoral vistas. Kiphuth goes an extra step further by sourcing and repurposing antique wooden boxes to display her creations in, resulting in charming dioramas that emulate the ecosystems and animals that deserve protection and care. Her artwork is complemented by her personal living practices, as her home base is an 8-foot by 20-foot tiny home without built-in utilities. Although her space is limited, she makes the most with minimal materials and conserves water to promote a life of zero waste and sustainability. She is constantly working under the mercy of Maine weather, which is why her artwork focuses on valuing the earth’s resources and preserving all it has to offer.

*Please email info@paradigm-gallery.com if you wish to be added to Allison May Kiphuth's digital collector preview list for her upcoming collection, or submit your request HERE.*

Nayan & Venus

As artists deeply inspired by the wild, Nayan & Venus create miniature paper sculptures that celebrate the breathtaking diversity of Earth’s wildlife; one tiny cut at a time. Over the past eight years, Nayan & Venus have created more than 1,500 miniature artworks, each layered with 20+ cuts of archival paper and detailed with watercolours to capture the soul of each creature. The art is not just about precision or beauty; it’s a call to look closer. At a time when many species are disappearing faster than they’re discovered, the artists want to hold space for their stories. From vibrant parrots to elusive amphibians, their creations aim to spark curiosity, admiration, and a deeper sense of care for the natural world.

Working from their home studio in India, Nayan & Venus bring together the fine details of wildlife observation with a constantly evolving paper technique. Through “The Paper Ark,” they hope to build a bridge between people and nature, where even the smallest artwork can carry the weight of a powerful message.

Nayan & Venus believe that art can make you fall in love with what you may never see in person. And when you fall in love with something, you fight to protect it.

Nature is their greatest motivator; they go birdwatching and exploring the wilderness around the city on a frequent basis. Every time they go out, they return with minds full of amazing experiences and information, such as aiding Red Wattled Lapwing chicks to cross a road, releasing a turtle back into a river from a field, or witnessing a butterfly emerge from a pupa in the morning. And there is still so much to experience and see in nature that one lifetime will not suffice.

Nayan & Venus hope to create a world that is more conscious of and knowledgeable about the wildlife they share the planet with by using the simple material paper as the medium and exploring the versatile characteristics of paper  to create art which is inspired from their beloved wild beings.

*Please email info@paradigm-gallery.com if you wish to be added to Nayan and Venus's digital collector preview list for their upcoming collection, or submit your request HERE.*

RAIR Philly

RAIR's mission is to challenge the perception of waste culture by providing a unique platform for artists at the intersection of art and industry. Situated inside a construction and demolition waste recycling company in northeast Philadelphia, RAIR offers artists studio space and access to more than 500 tons of materials per day.

Since its inception in 2010, RAIR’s flagship Residency Program has established itself as a unique opportunity for emerging, mid-career, and established artists. By facilitating artists’ direct engagement with the waste stream, RAIR encourages residents to consider their studio practice through the lens of sustainability and to thoughtfully reassess their processes of material sourcing and waste disposal.

This exhibition is presented as part of our year-long 15th anniversary celebration.

About Paradigm Gallery + Studio
Paradigm Gallery + Studio® was established in 2010 by co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston. The gallery exhibits meaningful, process-intense contemporary artwork by emerging and mid-career artists from around the world, with a focus on Philadelphia. In 2023, Paradigm moved locations and opened its new 5-story, 7,000 sq. ft. home, The Paradigm Arts Building, in Old City, Philadelphia. Open to the public, the building boasts multiple floors of exhibition space, integrated in-house design and printmaking, a dedicated events floor, and art advisory offices. With this, Chen and McCorriston expanded their vision for the greater Philadelphia arts community. The gallery is at the heart of this vision, anchoring Paradigm’s overall mission of increasing access to the commercial art world, supporting artists and advancing their careers, and collaborating with like-minded partners to build a more equitable, sustainable arts economy for all.

EXHIBITION HOURS
Thursdays • 10 AM – 6 PM
Fridays • 10 AM – 6 PM
Saturdays • 11 AM – 6 PM
Sundays • 11 AM – 5 PM
And by appointment outside of hours.

MEDIA CONTACT
For all inquiries contact info@paradigm-gallery.com

LOCATION
12 N. 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

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