“Reggie Woolery’s “Tronie #4” and “Tronie #5” evoke ghostly traces of humans — suggestions of who or what was once there. Displayed in glass cases reminiscent of natural history museums rather than art galleries, the works consist of tattered embroidery hoops. Holes puncture the fabric, while dark hues of violet and navy deepen the sense of decay. 

The ragged material creates an eerie sensation that complicates how the viewer might approach the object: as an artifact, artwork or something in between. The title introduces another layer of meaning. A “tronie” refers to a genre of 16th- and 17th-century Dutch painting centered on exaggerated expressions or exoticized faces, with Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” among the most famous examples. In an ironic reversal, Woolery’s “tronies” depict no identifiable figure at all. Instead, they shift attention away from the individual maker toward the collective cultural history and memory carried within the fabric and object themselves.”‍ ‍

— Ellie Koo, Yale Daily Review