New art gallery puts femininity on display

Tyler Art Gallery is hosting another set of artists for the beginning of the semester, with an exhibit called “She is on Her Way” until Feb 26. 

The gallery includes four artists who, through their artwork, show various forms of femininity and what it means to express and embrace it. 

“I hope to bring laughter and joy to people,” John-Michael Byrd, one of the artists, said. “We must find humor in the absurdity of being alive, being human and being spiritual beings.”

Growing up in rural Louisiana, Byrd was an avid reader and movie watcher. He uses these influences in his artwork. Byrd also uses the influence of his religious upbringing to challenge the traditional ideologies of religion. He likes there to be a sense of humor among his pieces as well. 

“I use playful methods to cleverly provoke certain ideas and utilize my work as a way to remember, much like tying a ribbon on my finger,” Byrd said. “This approach allows me to tell stories in a coded manner that both humorously critiques and intertwines the cosmographies that shape my visual language.” Another artist, Robin Tobias, uses the feminine form in her work as her biggest inspiration. 

“Conceptually, my work is always about the feminine and elevating the feminine. I’m referencing feminine traits that are gifted to both women and men, like but not limited to being intuitive, emotional, empathetic,” Tobias said. “The primary things that move my pieces forward are gesture, color and form.”

Tobias uses unique materials, such as tires, and gets inspiration from them. She allows the materials to “shed their past and become something else entirely.” Tobias said that she hopes that this leads to sculptures being “compelling, uniquely attractive, moving and relatable.”

Mads Leach is also a contributor to “She is on Her Way.” Leach uses her experience as a trans woman to influence a lot of her pieces. Oil paints are the medium she uses to blend contemporary and traditional painting techniques.

“Older pieces portray my life as a closeted queer trans woman living as a heterosexual cis man, while more recent works created in 2024 to the present, discuss the process of transitioning and all that it entails, both good and bad,” Leach said. 

Leach is hoping that through her artwork in this exhibit, viewers gain a better understanding of trans people. “I hope that any trans and especially closeted or questioning visitors who look at ‘Self Portrait as a Man’ and ‘Self Portrait as a Woman’ know that it is worth it,” Leach said. 

“It’s fascinating to be part of a show with other artists who are deconstructing the meaning of femininity,” Byrd said. “I grew up feeling like a little gay boy who was hatched from an egg, and together we are documenting what the feminine experience can look like and how it evolves over time.”

“She is on Her Way” is hosted in Tyler Art Gallery from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. from now until Feb. 26.