The Poetry of the Ordinary
Curio Atelier’s inaugural show - small, intimate, and made for real homes
There’s something quietly thrilling about a small exhibition. No noise, no spectacle - just a room where everything has been chosen with care, and where you can actually spend time with the work. That’s the spirit behind The Poetry of the Ordinary, Curio Atelier’s inaugural show, currently on view. It’s intimate by design, and it reflects what Curio has always been about: art that feels personal, lived-with, and genuinely accessible, whether you’re a seasoned collector or simply curious and starting to build your first “patchwork” of pieces at home.
This exhibition brings together works by Curio Atelier artists alongside a handful of vintage pieces from Curio Party Gallery, our sister vintage art shop. The result is exactly the kind of conversation I love: contemporary works with living, evolving voices beside vintage works that have already lived other lives - new and old sharing the same air, without hierarchy.
A show made for looking slowly (without taking itself too seriously)
This exhibition isn’t trying to overwhelm you, it’s trying to welcome you. The works have a way of drawing you in through small hooks: a gesture, a character, a detail you only notice on the second pass. It’s a show you can visit quickly and still enjoy, but if you give it time, it keeps opening, like a good short story you want to reread.
And because the show is intentionally small, it feels easy to connect. Nothing here asks you to be an expert. It simply invites you to look, linger, and follow what pulls you closer.
When mediums start talking to each other
One of the joys of The Poetry of the Ordinary is watching materials and forms bounce off one another. This time we’re showing paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and tapestry, and the mix makes the room feel alive. A ceramic piece can make a nearby painting feel more bodily. A tapestry can soften the air around a sculpture. A vintage work can make a contemporary piece feel less like “new art” and more like part of a longer lineage of people paying attention to everyday life.
You’ll see this energy across the works in the show - each piece distinct, but surprisingly in sync.
Highlights from the exhibition
Here are a few works that have been especially memorable to sit with:
Jackie Bradshaw, Taming the Cosmos - playful on the surface, but filled with that tender Jackie magic: small gestures of care that somehow feel like a worldview.
Amy Thomson, Holding Hands - a simple human moment, made quietly monumental.
Charlotte Sigurdson, art dolls including Andromeda Waiting for the Sea Monster and Spring Time - characters that feel whimsical, strange, and oddly companion-like.
Bradley Reinhardt, The Snake in the Moose Again - bold, graphic, myth-charged work that lands like a visual talisman.
Laura Thippawong, Cake and Fish #2 - a compact surreal story you can get lost in, both funny and uncanny.
Riesbri, Tren lechero (Milk Train) and Pájaro Campana en tierra - soft cartoon language holding real depth: memory, movement, and the emotional texture of place.
And then there are the vintage pieces from Curio Party Gallery - works like Untitled (Folky City Scene) (unsigned, Japanese), Fiesta, Mexico, 1972 (unsigned, Canadian), and Ivor Monk’s Reminiscence—which add a different kind of warmth and time to the room. They’re proof that “vintage” isn’t background; it can be a key voice in the conversation.
Patchwork collecting, in real time
If you’ve ever looked at a perfectly matched interior and thought, beautiful… but not me, this show is your permission slip.
The Poetry of the Ordinary is a live example of what I’ve been calling patchwork collecting: building a home collection slowly, mixing eras and mediums, pairing contemporary work by living artists with vintage pieces that already carry time in their surfaces. Not collecting to impress anyone - collecting to make your space feel more like yours.
That’s why this felt like the right first exhibition for Curio Atelier. It sets the tone: thoughtful, warm, and made for real life.
Visit, linger, and take something home
If you’re local, I hope you’ll come see the exhibition in person. If you’re not, you can still browse the works online - all pieces in the show are available through the exhibition page.
And if you do visit: take your time. Let yourself look slowly. You might be surprised which piece stays with you after you leave.