Gone

They could be the faces of every woman—your sister, daughter, girlfriend or wife. But in 400 Women, at Axis Gallery (1517 19th Street) through October 29, the faces represent hundreds of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, women who have disappeared. Since 1993, they’ve been dumped in the desert—raped, murdered and mutilated—or never found.

Cut into ill-fitting puzzle-like pieces, Patricia Wood’s monochrome watercolors resemble mug shots, but some are blurry, like lives being smudged out. Danita Cook’s little digital snapshots of “Ruth to the Ninth Power” take a cue from Warhol’s multiple-image portraits, except this subject isn’t famous like Liz Taylor. “Muertas Hijas,” digital-image portraits on silk organza, are big, tightly spaced and seamless. But look closely: The faces are pieced, and the eyes aren’t matched sets. In “Desparecida Juárez, Mexico,” some faces on organza are painted, others are chillingly framed with real human curls.

Visit www.thejuarezproject.com, or for gallery information call (916) 443-9900.