Who would have imagined that the stained glass of churches could become a symbol of modernity and change? Rooted in the Middle Ages, this craft is now the focus of Raúl de Nieves’s first solo show in New York. “As a gay male, I was always told that sacred places were not for me,” says the Mexico-born, New York-based artist. For his site-specific installation, de Nieves reimagines places of worship as spaces of transformation. Typical of his practice, which usually involves the transformation of cheap materials into visions of spirituality, he’s assembled 50 faux stained-glass panels in the main hall of Pioneer Works, in Red Hook. Catholic and Mexican folkloric images are drawn from tarot—a game that grants equal weight to multiple perspectives and characters. “I am constantly looking for self reflection and connection with the world,” de Nieve says. “I want to create a space where people can feel welcome, find an escape within art, and be taken into a cathartic way of thinking.” —Jeanne Malle