'PHOSPHENE'
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Space 4 Art Presents "PHOSPHENE"
Curated by Dinah Poellnitz
Space 4 Art is pleased to present "PHOSPHENE," a group exhibition curated by Dinah Poellnitz and featuring the work of Bryttney-Mischele Salvant, Mark Chamness, Pastelle, and Akiko Surai.
The exhibition opens with a public reception on Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m. and remains on view through August 15, 2026, at Art Produce Gallery.
Named for the phenomenon of seeing light without an external source, PHOSPHENE (phos·phene (noun)/ˈfäsˌfēn/) refers to the colors, patterns, and luminous sensations perceived behind closed eyes.
The exhibition uses this phenomenon as a metaphor for artistic intuition, exploring the inner vision that emerges before conscious thought and the creative instincts that guide artistic practice.
Developed through Poellnitz's curatorial residency with Space 4 Art, the exhibition began with a studio visit to S4A resident artist Bryttney-Mischele Salvant and expanded into a conversation among four artists whose practices embrace intuition, material exploration, and personal transformation. Though their approaches differ— from painting and fiber to illustration, embroidery, and found materials —they share a commitment to trusting the creative process before certainty.
“There is a moment every artist knows and rarely names. It arrives somewhere between the first mark and the last, when the mind finally stops negotiating with the hand,” Poellnitz commented.
“These artists did not plan their way to that moment. They surrendered to it. And in that surrender, something was made that could not have been made any other way.”
Salvant's expressive paintings privilege emotional truth over technical perfection, while Mark Chamness transforms discarded plastic bags into richly textured fiber works that investigate color, place, and environmental memory. Pastelle's vibrant illustrations celebrate confidence, identity, and unapologetic self-expression through radiant color and fantastical imagery. Akiko Surai's embroidered and beaded sculptures draw from Black revolutionary thought and craft traditions across the African diaspora, creating works that speak to resilience, inheritance, and collective imagination.
Together, these artists invite viewers to consider the moment when instinct overtakes intention—when making becomes less about knowing and more about trusting. "PHOSPHENE" celebrates the quiet inner light that artists follow and asks audiences to reflect on the creative spark that exists within us all.
Exhibition Details:
Title: "PHOSPHENE"
Curated by: Dinah Poellnitz
Presented by: Space 4 Art
Venue: Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., San Diego
Opening Reception: July 18 | 4-7 p.m.
Closing Reception and Artist Talk: August 15 | 12-3 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: July 18 - August 15
Gallery Hours: Fridays 1-7 p.m.; Saturdays 12-6 p.m.; and by appointment
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit Space 4 Art's website
(www.sdspace4art.org) or follow @space4artsd on social media.
About the Curator: Dinah Poellnitz is an interdisciplinary curator and writer whose practice centers artists who work at the intersection of material experimentation, intuition, and cultural memory. Developed through her curatorial residency with Space 4 Art, "PHOSPHENE" reflects her ongoing interest in how artists transform personal vision into shared experience.
About Space 4 Art: Space 4 Art is a San Diego-based nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting artists and strengthening the region’s cultural ecosystem by providing access to affordable creative spaces, artist opportunities, exhibitions, public programming, and community engagement.
Art Produce Gallery
Purchased and rehabbed in 1999, Art Produce was once a boarded up building that had housed the North Park Produce market. Art Produce is now a non-profit community cultural center that connects artists, cultural organizations, schools, urban farmers and businesses. We support cultural production, mentor community engagement by artists and provide affordable cultural activities in a community setting. Our mission is to build community and foster civic engagement through arts, education and public culture. Art Gallery: The Gallery is entirely visible from the sidewalk and was designed to accommodate sculptural installations, cross-disciplinary works, digital media and performance events. The space allows for unconventional presentation opportunities for artists and unexpected art encounters for viewers. Intended to enliven the experience of the pedestrian it is an experiment in public art that is accessible to everyone in the community - an attempt to render visibility and transparency into the art process itself. Garden: The Garden is a public art, performance space and cultural space focused on aesthetic, educational and sustainable/green practices. It was transformed from an asphalt parking lot into an edible garden and orchard and now hosts film screenings, performances, art installations and community events. It incorporates an outdoor classroom and workspace into an urban garden that includes a rainwater catchment system and a PV solar energy system. Stone Paper Scissors Studio: Stone Paper Scissors, owned by Lynn Susholtz, has been creating art projects for public agencies, schools, business associations and communities since 1994. Previous projects have included the planning of public spaces, developing public arts initiatives for neighborhoods, collaborating with design teams, integrating art into capital projects and fabricating sculptural works.
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