Ifirst encountered Kandy G. Lopez’s larger-than-life fiber paintings at ACA Galleries’ booth at the 2024 Armory Show. As New York City’s Javits Center is not exactly known for its charming and distinctive ambience, I typically race through it, in search of art to cleanse my proverbial palate.

Exploding with style and personality, pattern and color (think neon orange bucket hats, leopard pants, and bug-eye specs), Lopez’s portraits of her diverse Miami community stopped me in my tracks, much in the way that the portraits of Barkley L. Hendricks —a major inspiration for the Afro-Caribbean artist—do.

As instantly arresting as Lopez’s portraits are from afar, the real magic happens when you’re up close, basking in the meticulously and fully hand-embroidered figures. The 38-year-old artis

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