Rice Polak Gallery Presents Third Exhibition of Summer 2025
Show to be held July 31 – August 13, 2025; Featuring works by Susan Mikula, Jessica Pisano, and Nicolas V. Sanchez
Provincetown, MA – July 10, 2025 – The Rice Polak Gallery is proud to announce its third exhibition of the summer. The show will run from July 31 – August 13, featuring works by Susan Mikula, Jessica Pisano, and Nicolas V. Sanchez. This will be the debut show at Rice Polak for new artist Jessica Pisano. Though all three artists’ mediums and methods differ, they each share a fascination with memory, perception, and the emotional resonance of place and identity. Their work invites viewers to pause, reflect, and engage with the layered complexity of visual experience.
There will be an opening reception at the Rice Polak Gallery on Friday, August 1 from 7:00 – 9:00pm. Wine will be provided and there will be the opportunity to meet the artists in person.
Susan Mikula’s photography, shot exclusively with instant film, captures moments of quiet beauty and introspection, stripping away extraneous detail to reveal the essence of her subjects. Working with vintage Polaroid cameras and expired film, Mikula’s technique embraces the imperfections of the medium, creating soft, atmospheric images that evoke a sense of nostalgia and mystery. Her work is deeply narrative, though not bound by a linear structure, offering a space for reflection and exploration. Through her lens, Mikula invites the viewer to consider what is seen and, perhaps more importantly, what remains unseen.
“To create this new series entitled evanesce, I’ve done something I’ve never done before. In all 32 years of publicly displaying my photography, my practice has always been to show images exactly as they come out of the camera. No tweaks, no edits, no cropping. That means every image I have shown, no matter the size, preserves the ratio of the Polaroid format it was shot in. Until now.
The challenge I assigned myself for this show was to reach into my archive of photos and find elements of images where their composition satisfies the golden ratio. That ratio – what da Vinci called the “divine proportion” – has guided artists and builders for centuries to bridge aesthetic and mathematical order. In evanesce, for the first time, I have cropped images, with the goal of letting the golden ratio take over. The effect, to me, is to bring the viewer’s eye into the image, and then up through it.”
Jessica Pisano’s paintings are a harmonious blend of abstract and representational styles, with a strong emphasis on the interplay between tradition and innovation. Drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of her surroundings on Martha’s Vineyard, Pisano’s work incorporates the rich techniques of Old Masters while embracing more contemporary methods. Her layered approach to oil painting creates a radiant and textured surface that invites the viewer to engage with both the materiality and emotion of her compositions. Pisano’s paintings evoke the timeless beauty of nature, while also exploring the ways in which art can transcend its traditional boundaries.
“If you observe nature closely, there’s a dance in every tree, a song by every bird, and a story behind each ocean wave — countless gestures and poses in nature’s landscape; ever-changing yet timeless — inspiring me to capture these moments through painting,” said artist Jessica Pisano. “I’ve found that these birds, trees, and the sea are the heroes of my stories. Birds embody freedom and transcendence; trees, strength and wisdom; the sea, both rebirth and destruction. This balance found in nature is what I am interested in exploring and portraying in my work— I’m endlessly inspired by nature and driven with the passion for telling stories with paint. This storytelling is not meant to convey a specific meaning or message, but rather to evoke an emotion from the viewer.”
Nicolas V. Sanchez is known for his deeply expressive, contemporary figurative work that shifts between realistic detail and the dreamlike atmosphere of memory. Using oils, charcoal, and ballpoint pen, he creates layered compositions that explore family, identity, and cultural storytelling. His intricate sketchbooks and large-scale paintings reflect a balance of technical mastery and emotional nuance, offering a visual language that is both grounded and expansive. Based in New York City, Sanchez has exhibited internationally and has been featured in VOGUE Italia, Vanity Fair, and New York Magazine.
For this summer’s exhibition, Sanchez presents a new body of oil paintings that delve into the complexities of bi-cultural identity. Drawing on his family’s rural Mexican heritage and his upbringing in the American Midwest, these works explore themes of belonging, memory, and legacy. Through layered, representational compositions, Sanchez captures the ambiguity of inherited narratives—those that are passed down and reinterpreted—inviting viewers to consider the fluid relationship between personal history and collective experience.
The press release announcing the Gallery’s full summer schedule is available here, and the details for upcoming shows are listed below.
For press inquiries, to be connected to the artists, or to request photos, contact Natasha Fee at [email protected] or 978-460-4449. You can also contact the Gallery at [email protected] or 508-487-1052.
Upcoming 2025 Summer Schedule:
SHOW 4: AUGUST 14-27, 2025
Opening Reception: Rice Polak Gallery, Friday, August 15, 7pm
This show features the work of Willie Little, Pamela Murphy, and Christie Scheele.
SHOW 5: AUGUST 28 – SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
Opening Reception: Rice Polak Gallery, Friday, August 29, 7pm
This show features the work of Larry Calkins, Ellen Rolli, and Les Seifer.
FINAL GROUP SHOW: SEPTEMBER 11 – DECEMBER 31, 2025
This show will feature new works from all gallery artists.