While viewing Out in Front of the Back of Beyond at Satchel Projects, I found many of Daniel Wiener’s pieces viewing me back. From the writhing masses of clay, some faces returned my stare with smiles, while others seemed to look pained. A few have been contorted into odd shapes of uncertain emotion.

More than a candid glance at the surreal yet mundane way that life tumbles forward, Ice Pops Forever is an ode to a warm soul, Meredith Allen, whose art dashes the first room in welcoming color and a prevailing sense of hope. The collection speaks to the complexity of the present, the ways that grief overlaps with longing, remembrance, and even joy.