Goldi

Goldi
A Story of Home, Curiosity and Quiet Belonging
April 18 - June 14, 2026
Opening reception April 18 | 5-7pm
Artist talk May 9 | 3-4pm

Read more about Nicole A. Vanasse:
A Meditation on Home | The East Hampton Star

Goldi reimagines the familiar tale of Goldilocks through a quieter, more tender lens. In Nicole Vanasse’s hands, the story becomes not one of intrusion, but of curiosity—of a small, wandering presence moving gently through a space not her own, discovering what it means to feel at home.

Rendered across sixteen cotton batik panels, the narrative unfolds through fabric, pattern, and form. Goldi, a cat, explores the home of the Bears—here imagined as a human family—encountering objects, textures, and moments that suggest care, routine, and belonging. Each panel captures not only a scene, but a sensation: the curl of rest, the pause of observation, the stretch of movement, the quiet testing of what is “just right.”

Vanasse’s work is deeply rooted in handcraft. Layering dyed and printed textiles, she builds each composition piece by piece, allowing pattern and color to carry emotional weight. The tactile nature of the materials invites a slower kind of looking—one that mirrors the way Goldi herself moves through the space: attentively, instinctively, and with a touch of mischief.

At its heart, Goldi is a meditation on home—not simply as a place, but as a feeling. It considers how comfort is recognized, how belonging is sensed, and how, sometimes, connection arrives unexpectedly. Through Goldi’s gentle trespass, we are reminded that home can be discovered in small gestures: a chair, a meal, a place to rest. A space where, even briefly, one feels welcome.

At once playful and poignant, the exhibition invites viewers to engage their imagination, to follow the story as it unfolds across panels, and to reflect on their own understanding of home—how we find it, how we make it, and how we share it.

Nicole Vanasse