August 6 – September 18, 2026
“How
oft the warmth of the sun above
Makes a pretty young girl dream of love.”—Gustav Flaubert
L’Hirondelle offers a fantasy. Juliet Phillips, Naomi Chambers, and Alexandre Pépin, working across a diverse mix of media, prod a fantasy to life which centralizes figurative and emotional innocence, explores longing and myth, and brings to light childhood dreams and fears. The works in the exhibition create a new world, building a reality that encourages both reverie and delusion.
Taking inspiration from Gustav Flaubert’s 1856 French novel Madame Bovary, L’Hirondelle plays with themes that plague the eponymous Emma Bovary’s life. Though she suffers intense swells of boredom and despair, Emma also finds thrills in romance and desire. The hirondelle, a typical 18th century public horse-drawn stagecoach, comes to symbolize a vehicle for freedom and rebellion to Emma. Her weekly rides to meet her lover in the city allow her to lose herself in the passion of romance, and escape the banality of her married life. Emma builds worlds in her mind, quietly dreaming of a life in which her self and future hold grace, opportunity and opulence.
Phillips, Chambers, and Pépin transform the gallery into a place
to play and dream; to revel in the joys of raising a child; to romanticize,
contemplate, yearn, and wallow in the lives we lead and the lives we wish we
could pursue. Just like Emma’s world in the novel, L’Hirondelle gives voice to the interior desires of those who
seek softness. Though Emma’s naive delusions eventually lead to her downfall, L’Hirondelle graces us with hope, encouraging the dreamer to
stay asleep.
About the artists:
Juliet
Phillips (b. 1990, Brooklyn, NY) is a teaching artist whose work explores myth,
memory, and family lore through painting, drawing, and ceramics. She holds a
BFA in painting from Boston University. Her most recent exhibitions include
works at Bottom Feeder Books and PULLPROOF studio in Pittsburgh. She has taught
at arts institutions such as Dieu Donné and the W.O.W. Project and is
currently a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and The Pittsburgh
Creative Corps. She was a 2026 Project Art Resident Teaching Artist at the Carnegie
Library of Pittsburgh.
Naomi Chambers (b. 1987, Pittsburgh, PA) is a multidisciplinary artist. She
paints, makes objects, and creates installations bringing the two mediums
together. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of
Pittsburgh in Studio Arts and Marketing. In 2017 Chambers worked with a
collective of artists to open Flower House, a community art studio and create
space in Wilkinsburg offering workshops and classes to the predominantly black
community. In 2018 she had her first solo exhibition: “Communal Futures” at the
August Wilson Center. She is currently Community Liaison at Alisha Wormsley’s
Sibyl Shrines, a residency for creative mamas. Chambers received her MFA from
Carnegie Mellon University in 2026.
Alexandre Pépin (b. 1992, Montreal, CA) is a French-Canadian artist born in
Tio’tia:ke (Montréal) living and working between Austin, TX and Pittsburgh,
PA. Pépin draws from the legacies of Byzantine and Early Renaissance
Frescoes, Post-Impressionism, The Viennese Secession, and Pattern and
Decoration, alongside a legacy of Queer modernists to portray moments of Queer
intimacy and contemplation. Pépin’s recent work was the subject of solo
exhibitions at the Esker Foundation (Calgary, 2026), Chili Art Projects
(London, 2025), Bradley Ertaskiran (Montréal, 2023), and Arenal Contemporary
(NYC, 2022), and presented at the Dallas Art Fair (2025), SWAB Barcelona
(2024), NADA NYC (2023), and on Platform by David Zwirner (2023). Pépin was
recipient of the Quebec Arts and Letters Council (2017) and the Ox-Bow School
of Arts (2021), reviewed in Esse Arts (2021), New American Paintings (2022),
Glasstire (2022), and Sightlines (2022). Upcoming projects include a group show
at Uffner & Liu (Nov 2026, NYC), and a solo show at Zalucky Contemporary
(Jan 2027, Toronto).