Hypnagogia alludes to the hallucinations experienced in the liminal space right before we fall asleep. The wavering lines in Shapero’s works in this exhibition capture different states of consciousness as they wax and wane.

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Riotously colored wall portals—hanging on the wall like sculptures—are constructed from uneven layers of oval shaped wood covered in rainbow stripes of felt strips. These handmade reliefs boast a formal purity, emphasizing Shapero’s commitment to concentrated color play. Shapero’s large-scale drawings work to sew up the narrative started by the portals to the other side. Literal and conceptual byproducts of the wall reliefs, the drawings are “Scars” from a permanently closed portal, stenciled from the wooden ovals. Her large-scale sculptures act as totemic forms, or characters freed from this netherworld. Built up from hand-cut pieces of paper and felt tongues heavily saturated with paint drips, the sculptures take on an amoeba-like quality.

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Rooted in a craft and DIY aesthetic, Shapero’s practice evolves out of a kind of storytelling and narrative space that evolved from making zines as a way to index her work in the late 1990s. Spray paint, paper bits, foam, layers of wood, a chakra color neon palette—all are craft staples you might use in the suburbs. Stepping into the tradition of Los Angeles-based work made by Mike Kelly and Jim Shaw, with their yard sale aesthetic and commitment to play, her idiosyncratic deep dive into the unconscious makes for an earnest fantasy brought to life.

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