Elizabeth Downer Riker
The Understory
September 8 – October 3, 2026
Opening reception: Thursday, September 10, 2026 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
Ceres Gallery is pleased to present THE UNDERSTORY, a solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Elizabeth Downer Riker.
The Understory features large oil paintings that blend personal narratives with fantastical elements, as well as smaller realistic works painted on ragged-edge linen portraying historical events, and sculptures that draw on everyday tools that women use around the world. Depicting both realistic and surreal images of women in nature, Downer Riker challenges us to contemplate how violence affects our families, our society and our planet through the accelerating exploitation of both people and the Earth.
Downer Riker focuses on the way in which women have protected and defended nature over the centuries, putting their bodies on the line at great risk. “In both Western and non-Western cultures, nature was traditionally seen as feminine and as a living organism,” Downer Riker said. “In our modern consumer society, nature is viewed as something to be dominated and used for its parts. This mentality has led to the climate emergency we are now experiencing. Today, in communities around the world, women continue to defend the rivers, the forests and the land, and are met with brutality and persecution.” With The Understory, Downer Riker hopes to spark a broader conversation about this crisis.
About Elizabeth Downer Riker
The artist, born in Boston and raised in Paris, started out as a filmmaker, earning her MFA at NYU’s graduate film program. After discovering her love for painting, she studied at the Art Students League in Manhattan. For many years she lived in Oaxaca, Mexico where she painted people working the land. On her return to New York in 2011, she began a series of paintings of rooftop farms and community gardens to celebrate the greening of cities. Downer Riker has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally. She is an artist member of the Salmagundi Club.
elizabethdownerriker.com
Elizabeth Downer Riker is an American realist painter and surrealist sculptor who lived in Oaxaca, Mexico for many years. Her work focuses on climate change and ecofeminism. She has had several solo exhibits in Chelsea which were mentioned in The New York Times. Downer Riker studied at the Art Students League in Manhattan. She participates in several annual group shows, and is currently represented by Ceres Gallery. She is an Artist Member of the Salmagundi Club. Her paintings are in private collections and have been exhibited in the United States, France, Switzerland and Mexico.
Focusing on the resilience of women and nature, and the ongoing violence they endure, Downer Riker uses paintings and sculpture to examine the deep connections that enable them to heal and resist.
Click here to view more of Elizabeth Downer Riker’s work