In the Patterns of Being
By Ilaamen Pelshaw & Oria Simonini
Aug 29 – Oct 22, 2025
Reception: Aug 28, 5-7pm
“In the Patterns of Being” artists, Ilaamen Pelshaw and Oria Simonini, use the work in this exhibition to evaluate what they see in everyday life, their memories into childhood, and their studies into their heritage and background.
Ilaamen Pelshaws’s series is inspired by the unpredictability of everyday events in contrast to the beauty we can find in the mundane. It is an invitation to pay attention and appreciate our surroundings and the good we can see, even in the middle of distress or hardship. The bright colors denote optimism and hope despite chaotic surroundings. The geometry of the pieces is inspired by Guatemalan textiles or crafts.
Oria Simonini is including her work that looks at pre-Columbian iconography and textiles design from Guatemala, Mexico, as well as American folk art. She grew up surrounded with the variety of woven work, with its bright colors, bold patterns, and highly narrative aspects, which she uses to inform her work. This collection of work focuses on the various representations of bird and flowers, and in some pieces, she layers them with stencils – a method often found in street art. She is interested in the way traditional or folk imagery can serve many purposes: to look beautiful, decorate a space or a utilitarian object, as well as serving to pass down traditions, tell new stories, and record history.
Ilaamen Pelshaw
Artist Statement:
I’m a Guatemalan-American visual artist inspired by storytelling and nostalgia. My work is characterized by the use of contrast, color, and geometric patterns, and often explores the dialogue between reality and imagination. My visual vocabulary is influenced by my Guatemalan roots, the textiles and patterns of Latin America, and my background as an illustrator. I’m interested in highlighting the beauty found in the mundane. I work with acrylics, latex, and other media to create pieces that aim to inspire beauty, curiosity, and inclusion.
Bio:
Ilaamen is a Guatemalan-American visual artist based in Omaha. With a background in illustration.
She has participated in more than 50+ group shows in Omaha, Lincoln, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica, Portland, Miami & Melbourne FL, + 3 local solo shows. And has collectors in Europe, Asia, Africa, & Central America. Pelshaw was selected as OSAF Featured Illustrator twice and was one of the winners of the 7th edition of Latin American Illustration by AI/AP. She was the selected artist for the United States Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, with the piece “United We Live” being displayed at the US Ambassador’s residence in Kampala, Uganda. (2021-2023). She was featured as ‘One of 7 illustrators to Watch‘ (2020), and ‘American Artists to Follow‘ (2025) by SINGULART, PARIS. Ilaamen Pelshaw is the Creative Director of Clover24.
Oria Simonini
Artist Statement
I’m a visual artist, a painter, a muralist, and a community organizer. I use a variety of mediums in my practice. My work ranges from small scale pieces to large scale murals. My work is figurative, oftentimes loosely rendered. It evokes the migrant and refugee experience, our relationship to environment and spaces: spaces are inhabited in dramatically different manners depending on class, race, and country of origin. My personal experiences as an immigrant, growing up biculturally, and being bilingual influence and tone my work. My practice is deeply tied to community; my mural projects involve a dialogue with the community, either by facilitating in person workshops and group painting sessions or by gathering direct input from the people who will live with the piece. I believe in the power of art as a tool for social and political change and as a means to profoundly connect folks to one another.
Bio
Oria Simonini is a Latine artist currently based in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in French Guiana to Argentine parents. In December of 2018 she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has shown in Tugboat, Kiechel, and Constellation Studio among other places in Lincoln, as well as The Little Gallery, Josyln, Gallery 1516 in Omaha. In 2021 she began painting murals, working in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs, South Sioux city, Minneapolis, Chicago, Oaxaca, and Querétaro. In her mural work, she has developed collaborations with other artists and folks in the community. In 2022 she was awarded a grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation For The Visual Arts via The Populus Fund for a community based mural project that took place in Schuyler, Ne, and in Santiago Sacatepequez, Guatemala. In 2023 she was a fellow at the Union for Contemporary Art.