solo show
Runaway
Ronchini Gallery
2026
from Ronchini Gallery’s Press Release:
Ronchini is pleased to present an exhibition of all-new works by US-born, Colombia-based artist Shara Mays. As her first solo exhibition at Ronchini, Runaway presents a new body of work made specifically for the occasion, in her signature, vibrant, abstract style. Known for her expansive, gestural paintings that blur the boundaries between figuration and abstraction, Mays develops compositions that are at once intuitive and immersive, shaped through a process that prioritises movement, sensation, and openness.
Runaway takes its title from Mays’ engagement with the historical figure of the “runaway,” a term used in the archives of American slavery to describe those who fled in search of freedom. Drawing on this history, the exhibition considers movement not only as escape, but as a way of shaping one’s own path. In doing so, Mays engages with the broader histories of the African diaspora, tracing how legacies of displacement and survival continue to resonate across time. Rather than revisiting these narratives directly, Mays approaches them more indirectly, thinking through how experiences of displacement, memory, and survival continue to be felt in the present.
