“Paradise” is one of four exhibitions currently on view at Art Center Sarasota. The exhibition is a visual exploration of utopia, beauty, and escapism – a forum in which artists imagine and create visions of a perfect world. From serene landscapes to fantastical realms, “Paradise” showcases compelling interpretations of what paradise can be — personal, poetic, or provocative.
The group show was curated by Robyn Holl.
She also judged the show, awarding first place to Lina Rincon’s 2024 modernist acrylic on canvas, “Coalition of Light.” Rincon also has a second painting in the exhibition, “Transcendent” (2024).
Isabelle Simon took second place for her digital photograph, “The Other Side” (2025), with third place going to “Tides of Light,” a porcelain and gold luster composition mounted on board by Margaret Foy Meinhart.
Other notable artworks and the 72 pieces on display include merit award recipient “1893 Meets 2024” by Jihye Shin, “Echoes of Ophelia” by fine art photographer Jennifer Talley, mixed media photograph “Energy is Eternal Delight” by Helane Blumfield, “In & Out” oil on canvas by Theodore Morris and Liz Cole’s “Field of Joy.”
Holl is a visual artist. Her paintings and collages demonstrate energetic movement and vibrant coloration.
Her work has been exhibited locally and internationally. Exhibitions include Visionary Women at the Columbia Art Center in 2019, 2020, and 2022, The Art of Abstraction in 2018, and Colorful Spirit in Historic Ellicott City in 2017.
Holl has also held solo exhibitions in Sarajevo and Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and a show featuring her travels, “The Balkans,” in Brooklyn, New York.
She holds an MFA from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently the cultural curator at Art Ovation Hotel Autograph Collection in Sarasota.
“Paradise” is on display through Jan. 10.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
