The upcoming Urban Arts Space exhibition Vessels in Red boldly invites the audience to feel without fear—unapologetically and without restraint. Through a landscape of red-toned multimedia works, the show becomes a site of transformation, vulnerability, and embodied emotion. Curated by Christina Navarro, Ashley Martin, and Miriam King, the exhibition brings together performance and visual artists in a multisensory experience, immersing the audience in the visceral power of the color red. Vessels in Red will be on view at Urban Arts Space’s downtown Columbus gallery from May 13 to June 7, 2025.

This show explores the body as a portal—a place where emotion is carried, transformed, and sometimes exposed. Like its predecessor, Vessels in Blue (which debuted at Blockfort Gallery in 2024), this exhibition blends visual art, dance, and spoken word to create a living, breathing experience. The color red was chosen for its visceral intensity. As the curators describe: “It lingers. It stains. It pulses beneath the skin. It is love and violence, shame and desire, grief and longing.”

They hope Vessels in Red will grow beyond them, that the work will shift in the presence of each person who encounters it. They invite you to let the color red meet you wherever you are—to challenge you, move you, maybe even change you.

The show will spotlight twenty-four participating artists, including Ky Smiley, Iyana Hill, Arris’ Cohen, Ayat Ibrahim, Akeylah Wellington, Brielle Jolie, Marco Colmenares, Diamond Young, David Butler, Raja Green, Sarra Negassi, Kendra Lee, Alex Cuevas, Elaff Houmsse, Rachel Puckett, Grace Awe, Alek Shabazz, Ashley Martin, Candice Igeleke, Aya King, Tish Lane, Ajanaé Dawkins, Christina Navarro, and Miriam King. Viewers are invited to visit the exhibition at Urban Arts Space from May 13–June 7, 2025, including an opening reception on May 16 from 6–8 PM and a closing panel with the artists on June 7. All exhibitions and events are free to attend.