Angel Archives will present its group exhibition Angels on July 17 at Studio 45 in East Williamsburg.
The event, running from 7:00pm to 10:00pm, features 18 artists working in a variety of mediums, each exploring the concept of angels as protectors, guides and enduring spiritual presences.
The exhibition examines personal experiences of grief, sacred imagery and unseen forces. Themes include religiosity, purity, sirens and the tension between the unreachable and the real.
Featured artists include Audrey Roloff, Ashley Walia, Autumn Kidd, Charlie Rudalavage, Claire Porter Manning, EC Brooks, Eden Weinstein, Emma Long, Fiona Murphy, Jade Groobman, Julia Rose, Kaden Bard Dawson, Megan Liz Smith, Sara Carlsen, Sharon Yalan Li, pszygy and Why? Why Not? Because! Henry Davis and Charlotte Davis.
Angel Archives is a Brooklyn-based collective founded in 2025 by Emma Long and Audrey Roloff. It hosts alternative and inclusive art projects that aim to challenge the profit-focused mainstream art world.
The collective creates space for early-career and underrepresented artists to share work, foster conversation and connect outside traditional gallery and museum settings. Angel Archives seeks to keep art accessible, community-based and rooted in honest creative exchange.
“When I first moved to New York, I had many dreams of artistic fulfillment. But, reality struck, and the challenge of balancing being an artist with surviving in the real world began to weigh on me. The infinite creative energy I felt in college began to fade as I dealt with the financial pressure of living in New York," said Roloff. "This created a disconnect for me that was jarring, as my artistic energy fueled my passion for life. Emma and I created Angel Archives as a way to bridge that gap for other young artists dealing with similar experiences. Angel Archives has realigned me to the artistic passion I thought I’d lost, and we hope to do the same for people who are trying to cultivate a space for their art in the city.”
Historically, angels have appeared in many cultural and religious traditions, from fiery spirits to winged beings. They have served as divine messengers in monotheistic religions and have been reimagined across polytheistic and secular contexts. The artists reinterpret these symbols, challenging traditional ideas and embracing fluid identities.
In contemporary culture, angels have expanded beyond religious contexts to represent ancestral guides, cosmic protectors and symbols of the astral plane. Grief often anchors these images, with angels seen as guardians of the departed.
Angels offers a range of interpretations, from dreamlike landscapes to urban settings, questioning who or what an angel is. The works address grief, memory, ritual and the search for meaning while offering new perspectives on an ancient figure.
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