Contemporary Art Pushes Beyond the Wall at OVERLAP in Newport

Sometimes, the most compelling art refuses to stay put. It stretches, spills, loops, and nudges its way into the room, inviting viewers to slow down, look closer, and rethink where a painting ends and space begins. That spirit of playful curiosity takes center stage this winter at OVERLAP, which opens two concurrent exhibitions exploring abstraction in refreshingly dimensional ways.

On view from January 24 through March 7, The Wall Wanted to Play Too: The Architecture of Tenderness marks Jai Hart’s first solo exhibition in Rhode Island. Hart’s work is anything but static. Her paintings combine acrylic on canvas with soft sculptural elements, including pillowy forms and stuffed bands that wander beyond traditional borders. These tactile extensions do more than frame the artwork. They draw in the surrounding wall, ceiling, and floor as active parts of the composition. Hart layers vibrant color in varying opacities, balancing broad gestural strokes with controlled lines and delicate dot patterns that weave across the surface. While many pieces feel energetic and dazzling, others lean into restraint, offering dreamy, atmospheric moments that invite pause and reflection.

Running alongside Hart’s solo show is Slip, a two-person exhibition featuring Rhode Island–based artists Olivia Baldwin and Barbara Owen. Together, they explore the space between painting and sculpture through distinct yet complementary approaches. Baldwin constructs recent works from irregular scraps of dyed leather, weaving and stretching them into warped grids that pull color through in unexpected ways. Some pieces wrap tightly around supporting structures, while others hang freely, revealing subtle shifts in tone and texture from front to back.

Owen’s work takes a different direction. She uses crisp lines and bold, flat shapes cut from hand-painted paper to build compositions that float, overlap, and sometimes appear to defy gravity. Whether arranged directly on the wall or installed as sculptural groupings, her work echoes Baldwin’s investigations into repetition, space, and visual tension. Together, the artists create what OVERLAP describes as an elevated conversation about abstraction, process, and perception.

The exhibitions open with a public reception on Saturday, January 24, from 2–4pm at OVERLAP’s gallery at 112 Van Zandt Avenue in Newport. An artists’ talk follows on February 21. Curious to see where painting ends and play begins? Visit overlapnewport.com to learn more about the exhibitions, artists, and upcoming events.