The soft, yellow light blanketing the center gallery is almost as much a part of the exhibit “Marvelous Punishment” as the all off-white, woven and embroidered works of Natasha Duwin, the first solo show at the new home of Hardcore Art Contemporary Space. Shadows are cast on the makeshift white walls, and the whole subdued aura is intentionally both homey and somewhat sad. Aside form the various tones of white, the only other color comes from the single center panel, a dark gray, on which a verse of a poem from Tony Hoagland is printed. It’s about leaving home — sometimes countries and cultures — and finding a joy in a new life, but always missing the other, with no real way to get back to it.

“At night we consoled ourselves By discussion the meaning of homesickness.

But there was no home to go home to.

There was no getting around the ocean.

We had to go on finding out the story

by pushing into it–“

It obviously hits a chord in an city dominated by immigrants.

Duwin, originally from Argentina, works with emotions revolving around the theme of home and domesticity, as her art also addresses what is “typical” female craft.

Inside the home she created for this show, she populated it sparsely. Delicate little nests hang from the ceiling, while little hatchlings, made from weaves, sticks and fur, stand on several pedestals against one wall. In the middle, a miniature scaffolding of a house, made from metal mesh and yarn, gives shelter to a bunch of tiny houses.

Then, there are the woven small archways, or doors, that hang by themselves on another wall. They clearly reference an altar or church window as much as an entryway to a residential house, adding another layer to what a house of worship or domesticity means. The whole installation is tranquil and warm, and yet it evokes a feeling of a great absence; empty nests, empty homes, empty spaces in the heart. You can’t really go home again, to a home that doesn’t really exist outside of memory anymore.

In the huge surrounding spaces around this center gallery, Hardcore is developing what it calls a Chill Concept center, an interactive “communal” place, where visitors will be able to drink coffee, read books and magazines and listen to music. Let’s see what they come up with, when it officially unveils the concept on the next Second Saturday, Oct. 8 (the exhibit will still be up).“Marvelous Punishment” runs through mid-October at the Hardcore Art Contemporary Space, 72 N.W. 25th St., Wynwood; www.hardcoreartmiami.com.