Statement
April Werle’s paintings explore self-perception and identity through reduced figures, magical objects, and folkloric archetypes—creating haunting metaphors for race, bias, and transformation. 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, USA) is a narrative painter based in Missoula, Montana, exploring identity through folklore. Her recent solo exhibitions include Secret Life of a Multicultural Couple, Bell Projects, Denver, CO; Halo-Halo: The Mixed Children, ZACC, Missoula, MT; and Mga Hunghong Sa Diwata (Whispers of Spirits), Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT.
Werle was selected for the PlatteForum Artist-in-Residence (forthcoming) and the Emerging Artist Residency at Centrum Foundation (2024). She was honored with the Creative West BIPOC Artist Fund Award (2024), and several Montana Arts Council grants. Werle’s work has been published in Create! Magazine, New Visionary Magazine, and Mahalaya.
