February 28 – July 26, 2026
James W. Mitchell, Jr. Gallery

Richard Heipp’s Reliquaries & Artifacts brings together two interrelated bodies of work that examine how institutional display mediates our understanding of art, faith, and cultural memory. Using hand-painted, hyper-realistic techniques, Heipp transforms photographic documentation into illusionistic images that probe the boundaries between object and image, craft and simulation. These layered paintings invite a reconsideration of how we assign value and meaning through systems of visual interpretation.

Image: Richard Heipp, Reflecting on Reliquaries, #6 Reliquary #6, Mary Magdalene’s Tooth in Rock Crystal installation, 2022, acrylic paint on PVC sheet, vinyl, neon and objects, 15 x 15 feet. Courtesy of the artist.