In Other Words

Uprise Art is pleased to present In Other Words, an exhibition of new work by Arlina Cai and Gail Tarantino.

Tarantino’s works on paper and linen begin with language as both material and structure. Drawing on the inherent rigidity of grammar, syntax, and systems of legibility, she subjects language to a process of transformation through layering ink with stitched thread. Words are partially concealed, fractured, or rendered unreadable, their original meanings obscured while something more essential is brought into focus. Legibility gives way to a form of communication that becomes more experiential than literal.

Tarantino’s compositions are rhythmic, shaped by the fluid bleed of ink, the measured cadence of stitching, and the tension between matte and metallic surfaces. These elements create a visual tempo that echoes the act of reading itself with pause, repetition, and punctuation. The artist reclaims language not as a stable vehicle for meaning, but as a mutable system. By translating written language into her own visual tongue, she invites viewers to consider how communication can exist beyond the confines of words.

Cai and Tarantino expand the possibilities of communication beyond conventional language. Viewers are invited to move between systems of knowing, encountering communication as a porous and unfolding experience.

Cai’s paintings unearth meaning through embodied presence, giving form to the ineffable, where words fall short. A spiritually attuned artist, Cai regularly incorporates meditation and somatic inquiry into her practice and earned her yoga teacher training certificate this past year, further nurturing and developing her interest in the mind-body connection. While developing this body of work, she engaged in study centered on connecting with consciousness itself and translating that felt wisdom into language. For Cai, the most difficult aspect of this practice was finding the words. That tension, feeling something deeply without knowing how to articulate the experience, rests at the heart of Cai’s work.

Her paintings explore how to communicate in a language without and beyond words, showing rather than telling. Though ephemeral, the works are not without grounding. Sweeping strokes of green and blue evoke valleys and waterways, suggesting places shaped by time and flow, where water moves effortlessly through the landscape. They feel like thresholds between spaces, both of this world and our inner minds. A deep blue courses through this body of work, while shapes that reference starbursts, mountains, and the flicker of eyes, drift in and out of focus, guiding the viewer through a space of discovery.

Cai and Tarantino expand the possibilities of communication beyond conventional language. Viewers are invited to move between systems of knowing, encountering communication as a porous and unfolding experience. In Other Words offers a space for reflection on how we understand and feel, what cannot always be said.

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