Art Gym Denver is honored to show Alopecia by Art Gym member Rachel Doren in the Common Space Gallery with an opening reception July 18 from 5-8PM. Alopecia is a series of gold and black paintings used as therapy for trauma.

Five years ago, Rachel Doren was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis, a condition which causes a total loss of hair on the head and body. Putting her focus into painting, Doren used art to work through the shock of her hair loss. The paintings in her series titled Alopecia – created with gold Finetec pressed pigments on black board – aim to normalize and beautify what was a difficult process of working through her trauma. Using art to escape and rest her mind, she meditated through making intricate patterns and linework, covering the black void with gold marks, giving value to her trauma. Discussing this experience in her artist statement, Doren explains that “Trauma is difficult to handle yet we all experience it. After losing all of my hair to alopecia, I want to convey how pain, fear and trauma are necessary and shared human experiences.”

Join us on Thursday, August 8 from 6-7PM for an artist talk/demo with Rachel Doren, where she will explain her painting process and how she used it to grow through her trauma.