Surreal Art Show Explores Dreams at Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery

Group exhibition 'Shapes of Surrealism' features contemporary artists from Martinique and beyond

Apr. 17, 2026 at 11:42pm

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An extreme close-up of shattered glass or glittering sequins in dramatic, high-contrast studio lighting, conceptually representing the surreal and dreamlike qualities of the art exhibition.The surreal and dreamlike artworks in 'Shapes of Surrealism' push the boundaries of rational perception.Goleta Today

The Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery in Santa Barbara is hosting a group exhibition titled 'Shapes of Surrealism' that explores dream-inspired and surreal contemporary art, primarily from artists with connections to the Caribbean island of Martinique. The show features large, pattern-based paintings, dreamscape images, and experimental photography that push the boundaries of rational perception.

Why it matters

The exhibition provides a rare West Coast platform for contemporary artists from Martinique, a French Caribbean territory that has a rich but often overlooked art scene. By showcasing these artists alongside a Santa Barbara-based painter, the show highlights how surrealist and dream-inspired aesthetics continue to be a compelling thread in global contemporary art.

The details

The exhibition includes large paintings by Pierre Roy-Camille that blend plant and urban imagery in a bold, patterned style; the light-filled, abstract 'Vésuve' by Karine Taïlamé; the reality-bending jungle and undersea scenes of Cynthia James; and the surreal, manipulated photographs of Anabell Guerrero. Dora Vital also contributes a series of blue-hued oil pastel studies. Together, the works explore the intersection of the rational and the irrational, the conscious and the subconscious.

  • The exhibition is on view at Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery through May 31, 2026.
  • The gallery opened in Santa Barbara in 2024 and has hosted four exhibitions so far.

The players

Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery

An art gallery in Santa Barbara that specializes in contemporary art from Martinique, where the married owners lived for a decade before relocating.

Pierre Roy-Camille

A painter whose large, pattern-based works in the exhibition blend plant and urban imagery in a bold style.

Karine Taïlamé

An artist whose large, square-format painting 'Vésuve' is a light-filled, abstract dreamscape image.

Cynthia James

A Santa Barbara-based painter whose reality-elongating and transforming jungle and undersea scenes fit the show's surreal premise.

Anabell Guerrero

A Paris-based photographer who previously lived in Martinique and exhibits black-and-white prints with surreal, blurred, and swiped image manipulations.

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What they’re saying

“Something is happening here, but what it is is not exactly clear. As in a dream.”

— Josef Woodard, Art Critic

What’s next

The exhibition at Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery will be on view through the end of May 2026.

The takeaway

This surreal and dream-inspired group exhibition showcases the vibrant contemporary art scene in Martinique, a French Caribbean territory, while also highlighting how these aesthetics continue to resonate globally. The show provides a rare West Coast platform for these artists and explores the enduring power of the subconscious in art.