Gallery Date with Gabriela Pelletier

Gabriela Pelletier is based in San Francisco. Here, she talk about the exhibits she saw recently. 

Can you talk about the most recent exhibit you went to?

The most recent exhibition I went to was the Last Supper in Pompeii: From the Table to the Grave at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco. The exhibit is focused on the love of food and drink, dining culture in Pompeii. There were over 150 objects such as Roman sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, household furnishings, and tableware. What I found most profound about the exhibit was being able to view the objects of every day from Pompeii. I thought it was amazing that some pieces/objects mainly the tableware, sculptures, and frescoes were completely intact and truly frozen in time. It was mesmerizing to view a piece and imagine how it was used, where it was placed or what occasion it was used on. As you walk through the exhibit you fall into a daydream of what daily life was like before the tragic event.

In modern-day life especially with how fast-paced our lives are now with so much vying for our attention at all times, I think people forget how blessed we are to wake up and see a new day or that we think the everyday items we reach for in our life are trivial like our favorite coffee mug or spoon, flower vase, etc when it's the little things like this that make up our lives and can bring a little light to our daily routine. Getting the opportunity to view such specific items from daily life in Pompeii was so magical because it reinforces the act of gathering or the Latin word for that would be "convivium" meaning literally "being together". The world is in limbo right now due to a global pandemic and we are all suffering in our own ways, most of us are not only distanced physically but emotionally from those we care about and want nothing more to just be able to gather with those we love in the same room over a favorite meal or a drink using our favorite utensils, glasses, etc. The ongoing global pandemic has most of us reminded of our grassroots as humans and what is important to us. We have lost sight of the things that truly matter in our lives even something as simple as a hug from a friend or family member, holding hands, being in the same room for dinner with the people we care about. Connection, true connection is something we have taken for granted. One of the best feelings in the world is gathering or being together with the ones we cherish in our lives over a meal, a cup of coffee, and sometimes even too many glasses of wine.

What exhibition and museum experience is memorable/has stayed with you?

The most memorable exhibition I've been to was the Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future featured at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, 2019. This was a memorable exhibition for me because it was such a special trip to NYC for me at a pivotal time in my life. I was going through a devastating breakup while also spending beautiful quality time with a dear friend of mine who truly knows me at my core and lives in NYC. We spent the day running around the city getting brunch, walking through parks, going to museums ( yes we went to three that day), buying fresh flowers at your classic corner bodega, walking through Soho, and grabbing dinner at one of the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants. The exhibit was so refreshing to me because the paintings are massive and just stunning. They are so beautiful and filled the empty parts of my heart with much-needed warmth and hope.

What exhibit are you planning to see next?

I would love to see the Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love and the Judy Chicago: A Retrospective at the De Young museum in San Francisco!

Find previous features here

To stay updated on upcoming gallery date features, follow @Particiipate on Instagram. Find @Gabriela on Instagram.