SOLO EXHIBITION OPENINGS:
Nick Lenker and Alma Haser
Nick Lenker
Alma Haser
FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2026, 5-8PM | EXHIBITION OPENINGS
Candela is excited to welcome back artists Nick Lenker and Alma Haser for exhibitions that push and blend the photographic object.
Nick Lenker, TORTOISE (Rockalina), 2025, ceramic, custom ceramic decals, luster, 21 x 15.5 x 12 inches
Join us for the opening receptions for these exhibitions for extended hours on First Friday, May 1st, fro 5–8pm, and stay tuned for announcements about special programming with Alma Haser during her visit to the gallery in early June. Both exhibitions will be on view through Saturday, June 20.
In the front gallery, Philadelphia artist Nick Lenker returns with Parallel Projection, featuring fresh photographic ceramic works from his series, IRL Objects. Lenker applies found imagery to the surface of his geometric ceramic objects, which combine lore, iconography, and the mundane to playfully question ideas of reality and identity.
Alma Haser, Chloe (you are always on my mind), 2023. Archival pigment print, 14 x 11 inches. Edition #1 of 6 + 2AP.
In the second gallery space, UK-based artist Alma Haser’s first solo exhibition at the gallery features grand silks, small prints, and thoughtful texts to invite viewers into the intimacy of motherhood:
Tired, Warrior, Defeated, In Love is a project that explores the layers and complexities of motherhood, taking an intimate look at the experiences of a group of mothers over time. Through the work skin is stretched and pulled, nipples twisted, bodies bruised and bulging. Time is layered and relayered, patchworked together. The project deconstructs the misrepresentations of motherhood with a tender and playful eye. It’s hard to tell where mother ends and child begins. The images explore claustrophobia and euphoria in one breath, revealing the daily chaos, the never ending mess, the mental load and the moments of bliss. Alma’s images offer a stark contrast to the idyllic family life we are sold. The experience of motherhood is presented as joyous, raw and messy, a journey of self sacrifice and rebirth.
Alma Haser, Outline Chair, 2026. Archival pigment print, 14 x 11 inches. Edition #1 of 8 + 2AP.
Haser’s work continues to extend beyond the simple image in Four Legs, a series of unique ceramic chairs shown alongside photographs of the objects. The series began as a practice for the artist to unwind, resulting in a (still growing) set of small chairs. Through the repetitive act of crafting these miniature objects, she was able to “create a world where you can set the rules and design a space that is entirely your own,” providing a sense of control among the persistent chaos of the every day.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ABOUT NICK LENKER
Nick Lenker holds an MFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University and a BFA from University of the Arts with a Ceramics focus.
In 2021, he completed a residency at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia. In 2019, Lenker completed the courtyard commission for Project HOME’s most project, the Gloria Casarez Residence (an LGBT-focused homelessness-prevention project). In 2020, Lenker had a solo exhibition at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum. He was included in the international exhibition of ceramic art for Art Macau in Macau, China, as well as in the Korean International Ceramics Biennale, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, in 2021.
Lenker’s work is included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Alfred University’s Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, New York, as well as in numerous private collections.
ABOUT ALMA HASER
Born in Germany, Alma Haser is currently based in SouthEast England. Haser studied photography at Nottingham Trent University. Known for her complex and meticulously constructed photographs, her work expands the dimensions of traditional photography.
Haser uses analogue techniques, such as inventive paper-folding, collage and mixed media to create layers of intrigue around her subjects; manipulating her photographs into bewildering paper sculptures and blurring the distinctions between two-dimensional and three-dimensional imagery. The work often makes us question our sense of what is real, seeking to expose the unreal, creating images that make us question what we are seeing.
Haser's work has been published and exhibited worldwide. In addition to receiving awards such as the Magenta Foundation's Bright Spark Award, the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery, and the PDN Photo Annual Award.