Nadine Faraj’s immersive exhibition Playing with Fire is inspired by ancestral cave paintings tens of thousands of years old. The exhibition’s focal point is a large-scale installation, a painted paper recreation of Faraj’s fictive familial cave in Northern Iraq, which visitors will be invited to explore using flashlights. This fictive cave, used by the artist’s female ancestors for spiritual and educational gatherings, showcases the underrepresented stories of womxn and queer people. Complementing the cave installation, a select series of intimate and powerful framed watercolor paintings will also be exhibited. Imagining art’s potential to catalyze healing, the exhibition delves into the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.