Millicent Alvarado- Menagerie

Contemporary artist Millicent Alvarado presents Menagerie, a solo exhibition of intricate cut paper and assemblage constructions, opening at K Space Contemporary on June 6 and running through July 18.

In Menagerie, Alvarado invites viewers into a vivid and intense garden populated by expressive characters and forms that delve into the untamed nature of raw emotion, the absurdities of lived experiences, and frictions that emerge when distinct personalities collide.

Each piece—painstakingly crafted from hand-cut paper, found materials, and sculptural elements—serves as a visual metaphor for the complex web of the artist’s inner workings. Alvarado captures the humor, tension, and vulnerability inherent in navigating the world. Anthropomorphic figures and surreal montages play out emotionally heightened experiences—confrontation, self-reflection, difficult ends and new beginnings — each rendered with a blend of amusement and wry observation.

Her assembled creatures and landscapes become extensions of behaviors and individuals who inhabit her life, forming a private mythology that reflects the chaos and beauty of intimacy. Menagerie explores the strange choreography of human connection—how we present ourselves, how we clash, and how we sometimes find alignment in spite of it all.