February 7 – April 18, 2026

“Be persistent in art. Respect the way artists see. Keep focus on what you love. Always stay in contact with your elders.”

These words from longtime Art Enables artist Egbert “Clem” Evans speak to some of Clem’s core values: artistic community, respect, and dedication. Art Enables is thrilled to present a solo exhibition that shares all of this through Clem’s prolific studies of his “extended family.”

For Clem, family stretches far beyond blood ties to the many people who have influenced his life. Clem is a true artist’s artist: he often shares how important his artistic community has been to him, and he deeply values the support artists can give one another. At 70, Clem is less physically able to move about in his community than he once was. Yet, even when physically distanced from his people, the connections he’s made continue to sustain and inspire him. Many of the portraits in this exhibition are drawn from memories of friends, while others are prompted by books or TV from recent days at home. Whether Clem is in the studio with fellow artists or drawing solo in his bedroom, he never stops studying the world around him, or wanting to transcribe that world in his uniquely articulate hand.

This exhibition showcases Clem’s work over the last decade, including a handful of works made at Art Enables’ studio, and many others created after he transitioned to working from home. The earlier paintings are packed with embedded characters, scenery, and latent narrative, depicted through layered shapes in sunny hues. In contrast, his work made at home is less elaborate, developing into a large volume of more sparsely-drawn ink and graphite portraits. These recent drawings spotlight his incredible linework and unceasing creative drive. His fascination with faces, gestures, and personalities is clear.

Clem’s characters frequently float on white backgrounds, with limited context beyond their poses and clothing. Sometimes a figure is alone, a hand supporting their head or holding a flower. Sometimes figures huddle together, perhaps in front of an implied chair or fence. And yet, an innate realism is coiled within these few details. Clem describes his work as “real life changed into something different,” but his subjects often seem more non-fiction than fiction, despite the many ways in which they are transformed by his idiosyncratic style. It feels as if we could find each of these very real people by walking a little way down the street: sitting in a front yard, on a stoop, shopping at the market, chatting in a coffee shop. Do we all know someone like Clem’s “Woman with Cat and Hat” or has he simply communicated an entire personality with a handful of intuitive lines?

Whether he’s looking at people on TV, in his neighborhood, or within his own memories, Clem is truly looking, and he is intrigued by what he sees. His work is steeped in the warm light of genuine interest and careful attention, an openness to his subject, and the desire to reflect something true.  This sincerity imparts respect—a respect for the subjects Clem draws and a respect for—as Clem puts it—”the way artists see.” If we, as viewers, are really looking the way that Clem does, we can’t help but feel it all.