“Presence & Place” Opening Reception

“Presence & Place” Opening Reception

About the Exhibition
Presence & Place explores the dynamic relationship between contemporary art and the environments it inhabits. Presented throughout the interiors of Unscripted Spaces in La Jolla Village, this exhibition considers how artwork shapes our experience of space.

Rather than existing apart from architecture and design, each selected work becomes part of a larger spatial dialogue — responding to light, scale, material, and form, while holding its own distinct presence within it.

Installed within a series of fully designed showroom environments, the exhibition invites visitors to encounter art beyond the traditional white cube. Here, paintings, sculpture, photography, textile, and mixed media are placed within lived-in, thoughtfully designed spaces — work that asserts itself as art first, in dialogue with its surroundings rather than in service to them.

This exhibition is not about matching décor or completing a room. It is about presenting work with a strong visual voice — art that holds space, sparks conversation, and changes how a room is read and remembered.

Join us for an evening filled with art and conversation; enjoy light refreshments and a creative environment!

*RSVP is required for entry.

About the Curator
Erin Page is an art consultant and arts professional with over fifteen years of experience working across the contemporary art world.

Erin was raised in a home surrounded by sculpture, painting, and installation, spending much of her childhood in her mother’s art gallery observing the relationships between artists, dealers, and collectors. That early exposure shaped her understanding of art not only as an object, but as a dialogue — one that requires care, context, and informed decision-making.

Erin brings a curatorial approach to her advisory work at Page Art Project, balancing aesthetic sensibility, market awareness, and the practical realities of acquisition. In addition to leading Page Art Projects, she serves as Program Director for Campana Studios, a North County San Diego–based nonprofit dedicated to creative and economic development for artists.

Featured Ceramic Exhibit by Mona Mukherjea-Gehrig
Mona Mukherjea-Gehrig’s work explores how tactile form can ground a home, and how the studio can serve as a personal sanctuary. For her, pottery is a form of deep healing and a practice in surrendering control. Clay cannot be entirely forced, and in learning to work with rather than control the material, she discovers a sense of freedom.

To honor this quiet, restorative process, she works primarily within a monochromatic palette. The use of black and white as contrasting colors is deeply intentional. Without the distraction of color, the palette allows her personal narrative to emerge with greater clarity. Through meticulous sgraffito and texture-enhancing techniques, she carves these inner chapters directly into the surfaces of each vessel.

The final character of each piece is shaped by its encounter with fire, from the predictable structure of gas and electric kilns to the wild, smoke-kissed finishes created through pit firing. By allowing both clay and fire to have a say in the final outcome, she embraces the balance between intention and surrender.

The resulting high-contrast pieces carry an authentic, grounding presence, created with the hope that they bring a sense of peace and sanctuary into the home.

About the Artist
Mona Mukherjea-Gehrig is a German-Indian ceramic artist based in San Diego, California. Born in Berlin, Germany, her background in graphic and interior design profoundly shapes her approach to form, composition, and materiality. Before dedicating herself to ceramics, Mona curated contemporary street-art exhibitions, including MODART, and co-founded Keep A Breast Foundation, an internationally recognized breast cancer awareness organization. Today, her practice focuses on one-of-a-kind functional ceramics and sculptural vessels for the home. Drawing from a lifetime of international travel and her multicultural heritage, she translates architectural details, landscapes, and sensory experiences into tactile surfaces and distinctive forms. Each piece is individually crafted, inviting physical interaction through richly layered textures and nuanced finishes.

She is currently exhibiting her work in the group exhibition In Strength at dnj Gallery in Santa Monica. Her ceramics have also been featured at B-Free Studio, Union Hall Gallery, and the San Diego County Fair Fine Art Exhibition, where she earned a Second Place Award for a pit-fired ceramic piece. Mona’s work is available at premier local venues, including the Mingei International Museum Store, David’s Daughter Floral Shop, Phoenix Botanica, and Kettle & Stone Coffee Shop.