Violet Femme

January 30, 2026
Opening Reception: 7–10PM during Krewe Boheme
940 & 938 Royal Street | New Orleans

Mortal Machine Gallery is proud to present Violet Femme, a group exhibition exploring contemporary expressions of femininity through power, intimacy, humor, mythology, and transformation.

Featuring works by Tara Booth, Robin Eisenberg, Melissa Monroe, and Martha Rich, Violet Femme brings together four distinct voices whose practices engage the feminine form as both subject and symbol, at once vulnerable and defiant, playful and confrontational.

Across painting, illustration, and mixed media, the works in Violet Femme resist singular definitions. Instead, they embrace contradiction: beauty alongside discomfort, softness paired with strength, and narrative woven through abstraction. The exhibition invites viewers to consider femininity not as a fixed identity, but as a shifting spectrum that is personal, political, and deeply human.

In Showroom 2, the exhibition is complemented by a mini solo presentation by Swoon, an internationally recognized artist whose work has been exhibited at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Tate Modern, and the Brooklyn Museum. Emerging from the early street art movement, Swoon’s practice spans printmaking, installation, and socially engaged projects rooted in community, ritual, and empathy. Her presence within Violet Femme grounds the exhibition in lived experience and collective memory, offering a quiet but powerful counterpoint to the surrounding works.

The opening reception will take place Friday, January 30, 2026, from 7–10PM, coinciding with Krewe Boheme, bringing the energy of Carnival season directly into the gallery. Guests are invited to experience both exhibition spaces at 940 & 938 Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter

Currency

Tara Booth | Gynecologists Office 1