Arch Enemy Arts invites you to immerse yourself in the experience of their latest collections celebrating the captivating vison of Vasilisa Romanenko’s BIRDS & BLOOMS. Piquing our sense with vivid depictions of the natural word, we leave behind the moments of everyday life and set sail through the floral beauty and wonder brought to life through Vasilisa Romanenko’s artistic perspective.
Additionally, AEA honors their 2025 SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE, which features thirty-one artists meticulously chosen from nearly 600 submissions! A testament to not only the work of exceptional artists but to the gallery’s appreciation and commitment to keep us connected through the power of art.
If that wasn’t enough, Arch Enemy Arts is thrilled to announce a new feature for Andrea Hooge’s SAFE INDOORS – with the opening reception on the First Friday, April 4th! Andrea’s work is known for her thought-provoking and intricately detailed scratchboard artistry, a technique that continues to captivate us. Turn the key to diverse artistic expression and unlock your imagination, where each artist embraces the creative vison. With new levels of inspiration, each collection sets the tone for viewers and collectors alike as the compositional intricacies and storytelling welcome us to be part of their journey.
Vasilisa Romanenko, BIRDS & BLOOMS | Andrea Hooge, SAFE INDOORS
2025 SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE
Arch Enemy Arts
109 Arch Street | Philadelphia, PA 19106 USA | (215) 717-7774
For sales or private viewing appointments, please email [email protected]
Regular Gallery Hours:
CLOSED MONDAY & TUESDAY
• Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am – 4pm
• Saturdays & Sundays: 11am – 5pm
VASILISA ROMANENKO | BIRDS & BLOOMS
March 7th – 30th, 2025
In the Victorian era, William Morris turned the decorative handmade into an act of total rebellion. Using art, he bucked the manufactured products and inhumane factories of the Industrial Age–simply by making beautiful things by hand. Vasilisa’s work has always reminded us of William Morris, whom she cites as a source of inspiration. Informed by ornamental patterning, Vasilisa’s new solo BIRDS & BLOOMS reflects her commitment to naturalism and tight, technical rendering. With her work, she reminds us that (when everything is a dumpster fire) beauty itself can be revolutionary–and nothing can substitute the artist or their craft.
“I want my work to feel like an escape from everyday life, like taking a moment to be still and appreciate nature. For BIRDS & BLOOMS, I created portraits that enhance the beauty of birds by making them stand out from lush and opulent backgrounds. The female “Ring-Necked Pheasant,” for instance is a bird that is often overlooked; it is not as flashy or colorful as its male counterpart. But I wanted the pheasant in my painting to look dignified and majestic…There is something really rewarding about seeing your vision come to life.
I love that I can picture a painting in my head, then figure out which steps I need to take to get to that final vision. I think of it as problem solving, and I love that I can create something beautiful that brings joy to other people.” – Vasilisa Romanenko
Vasilisa Romanenko is based in Connecticut. She attributes much of her artistic education to her upbringing; her parents are both artists, and she graduated with a degree in Illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology. BIRDS & BLOOMS is Vasilisa’s fourth solo feature with Arch Enemy Arts, following three previously sold out shows. Nine paintings in acrylic on canvas make stars out of herons, pheasants, warblers, and crows swaddled in lush and layered flora. Lilies, pomegranates, roses, and poppies make for serene yet ornate and brightly colored works of art. The show will be on view through the end of March at Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia with an opening reception on First Friday, March 7th from 5 – 9 p.m.
THE 2025 SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE
March 7th – 30th, 2025
One question we get all the time is, how do we find our artists? There is no simple answer, but a big part of the process is through our annual Spotlight Showcase. Every year, we send out an open invitation to artists who have never shown with Arch Enemy Arts to submit their work for review. This year, we received nearly 600 submissions. It’s a lot of work, but we take tremendous pride in the process, finding it to be one of the best ways to introduce collectors to new and emerging talent.
This year, the 2025 Spotlight Showcase features thirty-one new (to us) artists from all over the world working in a variety of styles and mediums. The show is an opportunity for collectors to support truly emerging talent; when an open call artist hits, it can make their career.
Join us in welcoming Agafia Polynchuk, Alison Frank, Amber Skye Alcock, Ariel Williams, Athena Parella, Camille Theodet, Carnivorousflora, Caroline Gaudreault, Cynthia Zhou, Dave Todaro, Emily Nields, Franc Kaiser, Hannah Eddy, Janis Ledwell-Hunt, Johnny Draco, Krovblit, Lauren Richelieu, Lydia Dekker, Merlijn van de Sande, Mike Egan, Niki Waegemaekers, Pony Ma, Raluca Bararu, Robert Sullivan, Ross Takahashi, Ryan Harris, Ryoko Rio, Sasha Krautman, Shannon Purcell, Susie Oh, and Xenia Gray.
ANDREA HOOGE | SAFE INDOORS
March 22nd – April 13th, 2025
Opening Reception: First Friday, April 4th, 2025
We can’t begin to imagine what it’s like right now living in Altadena, the Palisades, Asheville, or any other city devastated by recent climate disasters. It’s awful. As we watch from our televisions, or at best, contribute to relief efforts, it can be easy to forget how we are all affected by climate change. For us in the mid-Atlantic, fall and spring are basically a blip, replaced by longer, hotter, smellier summers. For Andrea Hooge, she’s missing out on sharing one of her favorite childhood memories with her son.
“I went camping a lot as a kid and those were always such special times. With increasing frequency, forest fires have been a new part of our summers in British Columbia, and it has changed what camping means. Most symbolically for me is the loss of the ability to have a campfire in the summer as they are often banned. These were always the centrepoint of the evening, the way we ended our days, gathered around the fire roasting marshmallows and staring at the flames.” – Andrea Hooge
Andrea’s solo debut SAFE INDOORS processes this small but tender loss through impeccable scratchboard cutouts. Tiny etched markings on black panels that are scroll cut, layered, and cleanly collaged. Like peering in the windows of a dollhouse, every inch of Andrea’s dimensional shadowboxes are meticulous and totally composed. They serve as refuge for the owlets, kits, cubs, and fawns nestled within. The three shadowboxes are accompanied by six wall-hanging sculptures, stand-alones that look like darling little dolls. Innocent and nostalgic, they are cared for, if not sheltered, and SAFE INDOORS—sweetly unaware of how different their lives are from generations before.
Andrea Hooge (b. 1979) is based in Vancouver, BC and studied Visual Arts and Psychology at the University of the Fraser Valley. On a career path to art therapy, she fell in love with printmaking, specifically etching and linocut, which led her to discover scratchboard, now her preferred medium. Andrea began showing with Arch Enemy Arts last year after submitting to the 2024 Spotlight Showcase. Though she’s exhibited widely around Vancouver, SAFE INDOORS is her first solo feature in the States.
About the Gallery //
Seeking to fill the need for a centralized hub focused exclusively on new contemporary genres within Philadelphia’s already vibrant art scene, Arch Enemy Arts was founded in 2012 and quickly became Philly’s freshest new venue dedicated to exhibiting emerging and established artists, both local and international. Located in Philadelphia’s Old City District, and with an emphasis on the lowbrow, pop-surrealism, urban, and macabre in a wide range of mediums, Arch Enemy Arts was chosen as Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly”™ Best Art Gallery for its 40th Anniversary issue, voted the “Best Art Gallery in Philadelphia” on Philly HotList in 2013, and in 2012.
Noah Musher // co-founder & owner
Lawren Alice // co-founder & curator
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