Deborah Root - Artist Talk at Oeno Gallery - June 18 2025

In this powerful and deeply personal artist talk, Deborah Root takes us through the layered stories behind her paintings—stories shaped by war, family trauma, memory, and emotional disconnection. From the toxic beauty of her Pacific Northwest childhood to her father’s role in the firebombing of Tokyo—and the hidden love affair she later uncovered—Deborah explores how painting became her language for truth, nuance, and unspeakable feeling. As both theorist and artist, Deborah Root weaves lived experience and cultural critique into haunting visual narratives. This talk is not just about art—it’s about what we choose to see, ignore, suppress, and remember.