(Above left) Detail “There’s Something About Mary” by Allan Sousa. (Above right) Detail “Smiling With Friends” by Josh Beckett. 
Don’t be fooled by the title of the newest exhibition at Black Walls Gallery in the New Dia dispensary on Lansdowne Street. The phrase “Immaculate Conception” may conjure Catholic school nightmares and tightly pressed Sunday-best outfits, but the exhibition bearing that title is cheeky good fun featuring 19 Boston artists.
This exhibition was born from a near-death experience. Gallery Director Allan “Alz” Sousa was in a serious car accident, the result of another driver texting, and was hospitalized. From that experience, a singular and surprising vision was born.
“I almost died. And the only thing I could think about was that I haven’t painted eggplant Jesus. It was ridiculous,” said Sousa. “But I got out of the hospital and started working on this huge body of work.”
Eggplants are emoji code for a similarly shaped part of the male anatomy, which plays humorously on the Immaculate Conception idea. So, Souza put out a call for artists who were willing to make work with at least one eggplant involved. Yes, there’s humor and saucy material, but many of the works also do deep thinking.
Josh Beckett, a Salem-based artist and art educator incorporated the vegetable into a diptych dubbed “Smiling With Friends” that addresses themes often seen in his work: sex, relationships and self-worth. In one painting, an artist with a tense smile paints an eggplant-colored canvas while a groupie watches over his shoulder. In the next, a gaggle of fans take a selfie with a phone covered in an eggplant case.
“When it came to the immaculate conception theme, I wanted something that felt more like a truth-seeking type of experience,” said Beckett. “I’m suddenly aware of all the different crossroads that I sit at and it feels awkward. Am I really there, or am I just sitting in this weird nexus point, surrounded by connections as opposed to genuinely being in that connection?”
The creative, don’t-take-ourselves-too-seriously culture at Black Walls Gallery is what makes room for exhibitions like this. In an art world often governed by deep pockets and old-world connections, not to mention high rents for gallery and studio space, Black Walls is meant to be available to all kinds of artists.
“We’re an artist-forward gallery,” said Sousa, who notes that the gallery only takes a 25% commission on artist sales as opposed to the more traditional 50% cut.
“We’re not fancy and pretentious, we’re not trying to make you uncomfortable; this gallery is so accessible.”
This exhibition is up until the end of September and is open to the public daily from noon to midnight. Black Walls is a 21+ gallery due to its location.
Sousa launched Black Walls Gallery in July 2024, after New Dia approached him to activate the space. At the “Immaculate Conception” opening reception, Sousa estimates that 300 people showed up to check out the work and celebrate the artists. That’s exactly the kind of community gathering he was hoping for.
“So many people put up walls to hide who they really are, and if you can make someone giggle or laugh or think or feel something, that’s huge,” Sousa said. “I want people to feel welcome. We have every type of person coming into that gallery.”
ON THE WEB
Learn more at newdia.co/events/black-walls-gallery-2