Established in 1995, SOIL Gallery stands as Seattle's longest-running artist-run cooperative art space, dedicated to fostering an inclusive and dynamic cultural ecosystem. At the heart of Pioneer Square, our not-for-profit gallery thrives through the volunteer efforts of an evolving collective of artists and curators from Seattle and the broader Puget Sound region. Our evolving roster of artists and curator members share a commitment to community engagement, and bring local, national, and international perspectives to our vibrant exhibition space. This year, SOIL celebrates its 30th year anniversary, which is a pretty big achievement for an all-volunteer artist-run collective!
Highlights from the past year include November 2024 exhibit Interweaving the Archive, an exhibition by the Chilean collective Colectiva Tramando who seeks to redefine the role of weaving as a political act. The works exhibited, deeply rooted in the traditions of Andean textile art, tackles themes of resistance, memory, and justice in Chile. Founded in 2019 and led by textile artist Daniela Contreras Flores, Colectiva Tramando brings together a remarkable group of weavers—Belén Gallardo, Mariana Gaete, Alice Jallois, Daniela Rossi, and Claudia Moreno. The collective’s name, from the Spanish word tramar (meaning both “to plot” and “to weave”), reflects their mission to weave together powerful narratives around political, social, and artistic themes.
In February, SOIL traveled to CDMX, Mexico for a show exchange with Tlaxcala3, a small artist-operated experimental space. Our exhibit Meander // Serpentina responds to the shared histories of violent engineering and empire upon the natural watersheds in Seattle and Mexico City. Included works look towards the influence of water upon earth for future shaping and reshaping. Its fluid nature performs a certain gesture – a meandering that breaks away from the grip of efficiency’s mantra, “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.”
The second half of our exchange happens in July, when Tlaxcala3 artists travel to Seattle for their own SOIL exhibit during the time of the Seattle Art Fair. The show is called Latin American Land Escapes and will have artists from Mexico, from all over the rest of Latin America as far away as Chile up to the DR. The show won’t be limited to the gallery either! We’ll be having off-site screenings of their films, workshops, and an artist panel discussion. It’s going to be a huge week and we are extremely excited about it. International travel is a big expense, and a portion of funds we collect from GiveBIG will go directly to helping these artists make their travel to Seattle. In addition, we are looking for supplemental help in the form of airline miles and legal counsel. If you are interested in learning about ways to help specifically with this upcoming show, please reach out to SOIL Member Forrest Perrine at forrestsemailaddress@gmail.com
SOIL Gallery is committed to offering a professional platform that nurtures artistic experimentation and bold curatorial visions. We champion diversity in artistic practice and thought, providing a critical space for dialogue and innovation across the disciplinary spectrum. Our gallery is a crucible for groundbreaking artworks and exhibitions that challenge and inspire.
Our mission extends beyond exhibition walls to actively engage the wider communities of Washington and beyond. Through regular calls for show proposals, free admission, and a commitment to accessibility, we invite a participatory and collaborative exploration of contemporary art. SOIL Gallery stands as a beacon for creative exploration, offering both artists and the public a unique space to experience the transformative power of art.
