Statement
April Werle’s paintings explore self-perception through reduced figures, magical objects, animal deities, and folkloric archetypes—reimagining racial identity as a haunting presence and a reflection we manifest. Rooted in her own personal and cultural history, her work suggests that identity is never fixed. Instead, versions of the self are reflected through the quiet forces of family, memory, and myth.
Bio
April Werle (b. 1995) is a narrative painter based in Missoula, Montana, exploring identity formation by reimagining memories of grief, anxiety, and cultural and racial awareness through a distorted, nostalgic lens.
Werle’s recent solo exhibitions include I Live With a Ghost, PlatteForum; My Other Half, The Chase Gallery; and Secret Life of a Multicultural Couple, Bell Projects. Her work has also been featured in the Montana Museum of Art and Culture, The Holter Museum of Art, and Missoula Art Museum.
Werle was selected as a PlatteForum Artist-in-Residence and for the Emerging Artist Residency at Centrum Foundation. She was honored with the Creative West Artist Fund Award, as well as the ARPA Grant and Strategic Investment Grant from the Montana Arts Council. Werle’s work has been published in Create! Magazine, New Visionary Magazine, and Mahalaya.
