Forbidden Fruit

April 2 – May 9, 2026

Two young woman in tennis skirts look seductively at the viewer, one crouches at the feet of the other.

Sharon Shapiro

No Man's Land, 2023

Oil on canvas

43h x 36w in
109.22h x 91.44w cm

SS_001

multi panel cyanotype of a crab apple tree

Eric William Carroll

251021 Crab Apple, 2025

Cyanotype

96h x 90w in
243.84h x 228.60w cm

EWC_005

Press Release

Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to announce our first exhibition of 2026, Forbidden Fruit. This group exhibition features works by eleven artists exploring the multifaceted themes of the biblical narrative and its contemporary interpretations. Please join us for the opening reception, Thursday, April 2, from 6-8pm.

The exhibition draws inspiration from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, examining the consequences of succumbing to temptation, the thirst for knowledge, shame, and mortality.

Central to the exhibition is the apple as an iconic symbol of temptation. Notably, Carly Owens Weiss’ Bad Apple serves as an embodiment of "The Fall," depicting a bitten, glossy red apple with visible worms.

The featured works further engage with modern themes of seduction, forbidden pleasure, and  the loss of innocence. Ursula Gullow’s Broken Eggs utilizes iconographic symbols and art historical references to signify loss of virtue. In contrast Margaret Curtis’ Toile, A Study in Red, presents a more straight forward narrative, depicting a teenage girl cleaning a bloody sheet while her male counterpart  relaxes nearby.

Seduction and desire serve as central themes in Mouth and Desire I & II, three small works on paper by Harley Burns. Burns’ practice focuses on elevating the beauty and raw emotion of the ephemeral, with a specific emphasis on queer lives.

Additionally featured is The Mystery, a hand-embroidered fiber work by Orly Cogan. This piece pulses with contradictions, juxtaposing the innocence of floral motifs with the sensuality of flesh, and the openness of play with the secrecy of whispered exchanges.