Cate White. Born in 1971 into the back-woods culture of guns, 4x4s and meth in Northern California,White’s intimacy with cultural margins is reflected in her work—in subject matter and philosophical perspective. In her current life, she travels broadly and deeply both psychically and socially, exploring through her work the existential and cultural realities of human suffering, struggle and resilience. Her symbolically charged, narrative paintings illuminate many of our personal and collective shadows in relation to class, race, gender, trauma, morality and power. To communicate and represent across social strata, White uses a democratic aesthetic of humor, emotional vulnerability and figurative storytelling.

Self-taught beginning at age 30, White’s work became public in 2014 with the ProArts 2×2 Solos Exhibition,followed by the 2015 Tournesol Award from Headlands Center for the Arts,the Bay Area Now 8 triennial at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and residencies including a fully-funded, year-long residency in Roswell, New Mexico, a Master Artist residency with Joan Snyder at Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Mills College Art Museum A+P+I residency, and five solo shows and multiple group shows in the Bay Area and beyond.

While primarily a painter, White often exhibits her work in multi-media installations that include sculpture, video and books.