OH Art Foundation
Presents “Altars,”
A Solo Exhibition
Featuring Works by Carina Vargas-Nuñez
October 17th, 2025 – November 16th, 2025
Got a wonderful chance to do a gallery visit 1:1 with the talented Carina Vargas-Nuñez. Her work is intense and colorful, grounded in family stories, sad and happy.
ENERI News Blogger
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“ “Altars” is a commemoration and celebration of those who have passed, the exhibition itself existing as its moniker. But Carina Vargas-Nuñez aims not to entrap memories; rather, they pay homage to them—honoring generational stories and traditional practices while allowing new narratives to emerge from their explorations.
Just as trails of thread and swaths of paint lead the viewer’s eye from one motif to the next, pathways embody the nature of diaspora; neverending, they entwine culture, history, and family together.
The artist embroiders devotional portraits in the same manner their foremothers did, honoring the lives of those who passed down such knowledge, culminating in a profound tribute aptly titled “Altars.”
Vargas-Nuñez’s work is imbued with deep veneration and respect for those who came before them—and, despite it all, reveals the persistence of life, which endlessly and reverently carves itself from loss.
(Source: OH Foundation Website)
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About the Artist
Carina Vargas-Nuñez is a multidisciplinary artist who employs paint and textiles to delve into the tapestry of identity, disability, and family history.
She has used artistic expression from a young age to process their experience with disability, and envision worlds outside of the constraints imposed by their complex health challenges. This world building has continued into their practice today, where the artist uses bright colors and defined lines to illustrate narratives aimed at better understanding their sense of self.
Through elements of symbolism and magic realism, the images she constructs are crafted from stories of their family’s migration from Cuba, their journey with queerness, and their history with cultural mythology and spirituality.
Carina Vargas-Nuñez is currently based in Chicago, Illinois.
Source: https://www.carinavargasnunez.com
@cari_na_vn
OH Art Foundation
“Altars” Solo Exhibition
Gallery Visit With
Carina Vargas-Nuñez (Pictured Center)
at The Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, Illinois
November 2025
(Photo 2025 by Rieny G. Cualoping) via cell cam
OH Art Foundation
“Altars” Solo Exhibition
Gallery Visit With
Carina Vargas-Nuñez (Pictured Below, Center)
at The Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, Illinois
November 2025
(Photos 2025 by Rieny G. Cualoping) via cell cam
(Photos 2025 by Rieny G. Cualoping) via cell cam
OH Art Foundation Presents
“Altars,” A Solo Exhibition
Gallery Visit With Artist Carina Vargas-Nuñez (Pictured Left), with Irene (ENERI/Rieny) Cualoping, Managing Partner, ENERI Communications at The Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, Illinois
November 2025 (SP/ Photo by 2025 Rieny G. Cualoping) via cell cam
