Exploring Inner Worlds: Kate Frazer Rego’s “Portals” at Groundwork Gallery

“When we are able to fight the noise and sit in stillness, how do we speak to that innermost voice? And when we do speak to it, how does it speak back to us? What healing occurs when you embrace that quietest of voices and extend a hand to your innermost child?” -KFR

Step into a world of emotion, memory, and magic in Portals, the newest exhibition by artist and educator Kate Frazer Rego, on view at the Groundwork Gallery through the end of June. With an intuitive, playful approach to materials that are “messy, drippy, goopy,” Kate invites us into the quietest parts of the self, where vulnerability and strength meet in vivid color and texture.

Whether they are in the studio or the classroom, Kate’s creative practice is deeply rooted in reflection, experimentation, and connection. Their work explores inner landscapes, feminine lineage, and the everyday moments that shape us.. which are equal parts reverent and rebellious.

What materials do you work with?

I love working with a variety of materials. One of the greatest joys I have in the studio is playing with anything messy,drippy, goopy. katefrazerrego@gmail.com

Tell us about your current body of work. What motivated it?  

This show, “Portals” is part of a much larger body of work that started coming into existence back in 2020 during the depths of COVID. It was such an incredible time; incredibly difficult, incredibly sad, incredibly reflective. 

It was during that time that I began asking to speak to the quietest places within myself, to discover what could be found in those conversations. It was this constant exploration of this inner space, this inner world that I began finding solace and power in that world. “Portals” explores the journeys to that world. An exploration of inner emotional space, a permission to play with materials and usher the magic I have found there to our world. 

Do you work full-time as an artist or do you wear other hats? 

When I’m not in the studio, I’m in the classroom. This is my thirteenth year teaching and I truly love what I get to do. 

How do you integrate art into your life and other responsibilities? 

Art for me is a necessity, as reflexive as breathing, at a very young age I came to understand that art making needed to be an integral part of my life, my practice and that art would be the thing  what kept me going, kept me alive. 

How has your art practice evolved over the years? 

As I’ve gotten older, become a parent, I’ve learned to trust myself more. The time I have in the studio is so precious that every moment I’m able to get in it I need to maximize every moment. Decisions become less precious, when I was a younger, more novice artist, I would waffle over my decisions and never feel truly confident in them. Now, I enjoy playing in the studio, feeling that each decision is less precious. 

What or who inspires you? 

• Crows feet
• The deep bass of house music
• The first sip of a cup of coffee
• My grandfather’s hands
• My grandmother’s legs
• Brown eyes
• The frantic energy of 3am
• The smell of the ocean
• Films
• Late drives on summer nights
• Fireflies
• The rhythm of my sleeping daughter’s breath
• Sour candy
• Inner space
• Big dick energy
• Ophelia
• Georgia
• Frida
• Eva
• Louise
• Dorothea
• Making breakfast Sunday morning
• The dips and curves of a partner’s body
• Hogging the jukebox
• Laughing so hard you pee a little
• Wrinkles on the face of a friend
• Teaching
• Southie slums
• Eva and her 19 children
• My grandmother’s hair
• Widow’s walks
• Mourning portraits
• Genderfuck
• Red lipstick
• Swearing 
• Irreverence
• Doing one better
• My loves
• Old photos
• Older records
• Summer breeze
• The static buzz of that first touch
• My daughter’s smell

Who are some of your favorite artists?  

Joo Young Choi, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Henry Darger, Louise Bourgeois, Dorothea Tanning, Kiki Smith

How is community important to you as a practicing artist? 

As artists, community is all we have. 

What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist?  

#supportlivingartists

What are your goals for the future?

I’m curating “Answering Our Ancestors” at Gallery X in conjunction with DATMA’s show “Being Seen”.

And in October, I’ll be having a solo show of my Void series at the Co-Creative Center in DNB.

Where can people find and connect with you (in person or online):

• Instagram: @katefrazerrego
• Website: www.katefrazerrego.com
• Email: katefrazerrego@gmail.com

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Portals through the end of June! The exhibition is located at Groundwork Gallery, inside Groundwork Coworking, at 1 Maxfield Street, New Bedford. It’s open to the public during staffed hours: Monday–Friday from 9:00 am–2:00 pm.

Join us to celebrate their incredible body of work at the closing reception on Thursday, June 20th from 6–8pm.