Alchemy and mythology interpreted in Upstairs show “Private Domain”

Taiyo as Mercury

Upstairs Artspace is proud to present Private Domain, an exhibition of new work by Virginia Derryberry, on view from March 8 through April 10, 2026. The contemporary art gallery is located at 49 S. Trade St., Tryon, NC. 

Featuring large-scale narrative figure paintings, the exhibition will explore themes of duality, transformation, and human complexity through imagery drawn from alchemy, mythology, and contemporary life. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, March 8, from 2-4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. 

The artist will also return to the gallery on March 29 at 2 p.m. for an art talk. The public is welcome to attend.

Derryberry is an established contemporary artist whose work has been widely exhibited across the United States and featured in publications including New American Paintings and Oxford American. Her work has been presented in museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, the Piedmont Museum, and the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art,and is held in major public and private collections. She is professor emerita, art and art history, UNC Asheville.

In Private Domain, Derryberry draws on alchemical philosophy, particularly the concept of rebis, or the union of opposites alongside classical mythology and Renaissance traditions. 

“My figure narrative paintings blend elements from mythology and alchemy and focus on the concept of duality,” says Derryberry. “My characters are depicted in contemporary clothing and scenarios that suggest multiple interpretations… resulting in the creation of a virtual, shifting world where nothing is quite what it seems.”

Guest curator Mary Edith Alexander writes, “An artist’s job is to interpret the world in which they live. Virginia Derryberry uses subjects familiar to us like landscapes, figures, and buildings… and then transmutes their familiarity. Using vibrant color, her spaces glow with an otherworldliness. She imbues her subjects with mystery and magic.”

Alexander is a curator and artist with a degree in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She has worked as a gallerist and arts administrator for over 30 years and has curated over twenty exhibitions. She was an Affiliate Artist at the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte. She was in the 2008 String of Pearls exhibition at Upstairs Artspace. Her work is held in corporate and private collections in Australia, Great Britain, Malaysia, and the United States. She now resides in western North Carolina.

Upstairs Artspace is located at 49 S. Trade St., Tryon, NC. More information can be found online at UpstairsArtspace.org, or by calling (828) 859-2828.