CURATORIAL STATEMENT
In BEWILDERNESS, multidisciplinary artist Meg Stein explores the connections between our wild internal and external environments—our emotional, spiritual, and intellectual landscapes and the natural world. In this solo exhibition, Stein’s first in Durham since 2015, she debuts a new body of work that includes ceramic vessels and wall sculptures, drawings, a mixed-media installation, and a collaborative photographic series.
Stein’s visual vocabulary begins with intuitive drawings that inspire and evolve into three-dimensional structures. Spiny areole sprout from dermal and geological folds; stalagmites reach through glistening entrails; marine-like creatures pulse through watery environments. Her richly hued biomorphic forms are playful yet unsettling, beautiful yet grotesque—evoking organs, bodily cavities, terrestrial formations, and verdant landscapes. Their reaching appendages and bulbous protrusions elicit wonder and discomfort, prompting reflection on our intimate relationships with the ecosystems we inhabit and embody.
BEWILDERNESS marks an important shift in Stein’s practice towards the emergent transformative potential of embodied self-discovery and collective witnessing. Grounded in feminist, process-based, and postminimalist legacies and informed by a decade of social practice and somatic inquiry, Stein’s sculptures remain solidly anchored in their materials—firmly of the earth, of clay, and lovingly of the body.
In this room, freestanding vessels merge figure and land into hybrid entities whose commanding presence draws attention to our most private and spectacular places. The wall sculptures focus on enigmatic interiors, pulsing with the aliveness they describe: a sliding down through my core, an earnest lifting along my back, every part of this soft unfolding precisely and preciously here. In the site-specific wall installation, Stein maps a series of drawings and ceramic pieces onto her physical shape. In the photo series in the adjoining room, created in collaboration with artist Derrick Beasley, she bridges body, sculpture, and environment, fully claiming the connections between them.
As a body, Stein’s inventive amalgamations reveal the dialogue between seemingly disconnected realms and remind us of the tools we already possess. They prompt us to remain present with ourselves, connect deeply with each other, and honor our place within larger ecosystems. BEWILDERNESS embraces the complexity of what it means to be fully alive—to exist simultaneously as self and world—and invites us to engage the lush and mysterious wilderness within and around us.
– Laura Ritchie
BEWILDERNESS was curated by Laura Ritchie and was on view from March 29 to April 27, 2025. Special thanks to the Durham Arts Council and Hayti Heritage Center for their generous support.
ARCHIVE OF BEWILDERNESS EXHIBITION EVENTS
In BEWILDERNESS, multidisciplinary artist Meg Stein presents new work that explores the connections between our internal and external ecosystems—our spiritual, emotional, and intellectual landscapes and the physical environment. The exhibition includes freestanding ceramic vessels, wall sculptures, drawings, a large-scale mixed-media installation, and a collaborative series of photographic portraits. These works express the complexity of human experience through vibrant, biomorphic, and geological forms, emphasizing the permeability between our inner selves and the outer world. This body of work marks a shift in Stein’s artistic practice towards uncovering the surprises that arise from an embodied experience of self-discovery. Stein’s inventive forms encourage us to engage with the lush and mysterious wilderness that exists both within and around each of us.
BEWILDERNESS is curated by Laura Ritchie and is on view at PORTAL from March 29 - April 27, 2025. PORTAL is located at 1320 Old Oxford Rd, Ste 7 in Durham.
In addition to an opening and a 3rd Friday reception, Meg Stein is organizing two Embodiment Practices workshops with other locally-based practitioners. She will lead a Sculpture and Meditation workshop and host an Artist’s Talk with the curator.
RSVP for BEWILDERNESS events here: bit.ly/bewilderness-2025.
BEWILDERNESS open hours will be each Saturday and Sunday from 2-6p.
RSVP for BEWILDERNESS open hours: https://bit.ly/bewilderness-open-hours.
Stein and Ritchie will be available for weekly meetings by appointment.
Sign up for an appointment here: https://calendly.com/meg-stein.
Events:
Saturday, March 29, 6-9pm: Opening Reception
Sunday, March 30, 11am-1pm: Embodiment Practices Workshop
Sunday, April 6, 11am-1pm: Embodiment Practices Workshop
Friday, April 11, 5:30-7pm: Slow Art Tour with Gail Belvett
Saturday, April 12, 6-8pm: Artist’s Talk ** NEW TIME**
Friday, April 18, 6-9pm: 3rd Friday Reception
Thursday, April 24, 6-8pm: Sculpture & Meditation Workshop
Open hours: Saturdays & Sundays, 2-6pm, and by appointment.
Photos by Derrick Beasley.