SOIL Artist-Run Gallery

keep-sake

By Sophia Anderson

Three eagles take flight from their nests behind the tsunami tower. They circle above me: Past, Present and Future. 
They write to me in their flight pattern: “this is where you are supposed to be”. These are singular moments, where the voice of the ancestors speaks to us in the language of the land. 

Moving home, and as we struggle under the weight of boxes, we look up to see a meteor shower spreading stars across the sky, like a thrown handful of glittering sand.

“You are surrounded by abundance”.  

Memory is not panoramic. Sometimes, all we clearly remember is a glimpse or gesture. From the first walk I took to the beach after moving back to this reservation that I grew up on, my only vivid recollection is of blue-gray rocks and red pine needles on the pathway. I began to record these details to see if I could begin to piece together a greater message.

My chicha (grandmother), Lorraine Anderson, was a master bead-worker. I began learning to bead after her passing, in an attempt to better understand who she was. These beaded paintings are how I capture individual moments of how my life fits into this ancient coastline, through a practice that connects me to my heritage and community. Every bead is placed with attention and reverence. 

Sophia Anderson is a member of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, and grew up on the reservation, located on a rural corner of the Pacific coast. She is a watercolor painter, bead-worker and SOIL member.

Image details: Washaway, Sophia Anderson, beading, 2024

See you at the opening!

(De)Constructing: Access Tests 2024
ACCESSTEST Collective

Opening reception: September 5 - 5pm-8pm
September 5 - September 28

Cecelia Black and Peter Christenson, founders of ACCESSTEST Collective, an artist collaborative that builds socially engaged artworks with non-drivers and activists with disabilities, showcaseing a collection of multimedia works and films made in partnership with the collective’s storytellers.

In project lead Cecelia Black’s own words, “our collaborative builds an archive of cultural capital, innovative artmaking, and public interventions that highlight activism and policy change, explores issues pertaining to access, equity, movement, and community justice, and serves as a forum for conversations around who we design our cities for, and how we can better design for all communities.” 

More information about the ACCESSTEST Collective can be found here: https://accesstestcollective.com/

Image details: Accesstests via Wheelchair (Seattle,WA, 2022), Cicelia Black and Peter Christenson, video still, 2022

See you at the opening!

Smoke Season
Claire Johnson, Tim Marsden, janet galore, 
and Christian French

Opening Reception: August 1, 5pm-8pm
Exhibition on view: August 1 – August 30 

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

Smoke Season: The Anthropocene has become the Pyrocene. Seasons aren’t anchored anymore like when I was a kid. Used to be, they had something to do with the Sun, tied inexorably to weather patterns. Nowadays they’re very fashionable for everything from zucchini to election, baseball to holiday, flu to monsoon. No escape, really. Oh well, to everything there is a season, even if King James and the Holy Rollers did rip off the Byrds. 

Smoke Season. 
A shoulder season for all seasons. The moment when it hits you and you wonder what to do. Time to pack your bags. Paradise is burning. No time to pack your bags. Jump in the pool. Paradise is still burning. Smoke Season is a quartet of artists (Christian French, Tim Marsden, Claire Johnson, janet galore) staring into the haze for a glimpse of the future. Be ready to squint. 

Enjoy the view.

Image details: Claire Johnson, summer of a thousand fires, 2023, oil on panel, 111/2” x301/2”

Hope to see you at the gallery this weekend!

Smoke Season
Claire Johnson, Tim Marsden, janet galore, 
and Christian French

Opening Reception: August 1, 5pm-8pm
Exhibition on view: August 1 – August 30 

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

Smoke Season: The Anthropocene has become the Pyrocene. Seasons aren’t anchored anymore like when I was a kid. Used to be, they had something to do with the Sun, tied inexorably to weather patterns. Nowadays they’re very fashionable for everything from zucchini to election, baseball to holiday, flu to monsoon. No escape, really. Oh well, to everything there is a season, even if King James and the Holy Rollers did rip off the Byrds. 

Smoke Season. 
A shoulder season for all seasons. The moment when it hits you and you wonder what to do. Time to pack your bags. Paradise is burning. No time to pack your bags. Jump in the pool. Paradise is still burning. Smoke Season is a quartet of artists (Christian French, Tim Marsden, Claire Johnson, janet galore) staring into the haze for a glimpse of the future. Be ready to squint. 

Enjoy the view.

Image details: Janet Galore, Smoke break, 2024, video loop on vintage TV, 3:15 mins, 12” x 18” x 12” (approx)

Hope to see you at the gallery this weekend!

Smoke Season
Claire Johnson, Tim Marsden, janet galore, 
and Christian French

Opening Reception: August 1, 5pm-8pm
Exhibition on view: August 1 – August 30 

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

Smoke Season: The Anthropocene has become the Pyrocene. Seasons aren’t anchored anymore like when I was a kid. Used to be, they had something to do with the Sun, tied inexorably to weather patterns. Nowadays they’re very fashionable for everything from zucchini to election, baseball to holiday, flu to monsoon. No escape, really. Oh well, to everything there is a season, even if King James and the Holy Rollers did rip off the Byrds. 

Smoke Season. 
A shoulder season for all seasons. The moment when it hits you and you wonder what to do. Time to pack your bags. Paradise is burning. No time to pack your bags. Jump in the pool. Paradise is still burning. Smoke Season is a quartet of artists (Christian French, Tim Marsden, Claire Johnson, janet galore) staring into the haze for a glimpse of the future. Be ready to squint. 

Enjoy the view.

Image details: Christian French,  Untitled(Exodus series), 2020, Photograph, 45” x 25”

💥Opening Tonight!💥
Smoke Season
Claire Johnson, Tim Marsden, janet galore, 
and Christian French

Opening Reception: August 1, 5pm-8pm
Exhibition on view: August 1 – August 30 

JA time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

Smoke Season: The Anthropocene has become the Pyrocene. Seasons aren’t anchored anymore like when I was a kid. Used to be, they had something to do with the Sun, tied inexorably to weather patterns. Nowadays they’re very fashionable for everything from zucchini to election, baseball to holiday, flu to monsoon. No escape, really. Oh well, to everything there is a season, even if King James and the Holy Rollers did rip off the Byrds. 

Smoke Season. 
A shoulder season for all seasons. The moment when it hits you and you wonder what to do. Time to pack your bags. Paradise is burning. No time to pack your bags. Jump in the pool. Paradise is still burning. Smoke Season is a quartet of artists (Christian French, Tim Marsden, Claire Johnson, janet galore) staring into the haze for a glimpse of the future. Be ready to squint. 

Enjoy the view.

Image details: Tim Marsden, Li Po Poem, 2022, Embroidery Thread and Hoop, 8” x 8” x 1”

💥Composition / Decomposition Artist Talk💥

July 28th @ 3pm

On the final day of the exhibition Composition / Decomposition, Elizabeth Arzani, Pamela Hadley, Allan Pichardo, and Kimberly Smith Claudel will discuss their work in the show, talk about artist-run spaces, and share how gallery exchanges connect art communities in the Pacific Northwest. 
Composition / Decomposition is a group exhibition featuring 19 members from the artist collective, Carnation Contemporary (Portland, OR), uprooting and inserting disparate forms of entangled histories, questions, fears, grief, and longing embedded in seen and unseen structures. Themes of archetypal life cycles, ephemerality, consumption, ritual, generational knowledge, motherhood, and intimacy are shown side by side as simultaneously expansive and oddly specific. Collectively, the work in this show serves as an invitation for SOIL members, asking them to respond, in turn, at Carnation’s gallery in November 2024. These exchanges between artist collectives are made possible by a Regional Arts & Culture Council Art3C grant.

Hope to see you at the gallery this weekend!

Composition / Decomposition
July 5th - July 28th 
Exhibition Opening | Thursday, July 11th 
Artist Talk | July 28th 

Through decomposition, soil is made fertile for seeds to take root. What should we construct from what needs to be deconstructed—systems, ideologies, images, a line, a composition, a theory? What should or could grow in its place? In the decay of dated systems and ideas for art, culture, politics, artists can plant new seeds and imagine new ecosystems

This group exhibition features 19 members from the artist collective, Carnation Contemporary (Portland, OR), uprooting and inserting disparate forms of entangled histories, questions, fears, grief, and longing embedded in seen and unseen structures. Themes of archetypal life cycles, ephemerality, consumption, ritual, generational knowledge, motherhood, and intimacy are shown side by side as simultaneously expansive and oddly specific. From projected landscapes on a desert-sun-bleached can to dusty poems encased in a block of soap to a CRT television with robotic news mining social media, reclaimed and constructed materials present themselves in various states of composure and disarray. Collectively, the work in this show serves as an invitation for SOIL members, asking them to respond, in turn, at Carnation’s gallery in November 2024. 

These exchanges between artist collectives are made possible by a RACC Art3C grant.

Image details:
Pamela Hadley, Wonder Valley Found Aluminum Can, Mojave Desert Sand, Shot Footage, Projection-Mapped Abstract Animation, Plywood, Hardware, Steel, Fabric, VR Facial Interface, Pocket Projector, Media Player, Stool,
12 x 34 x 23”, 3:00 min (loop), 2023

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

Opening today!
Composition / Decomposition
July 5th - July 28th 
Exhibition Opening | Thursday, July 11th 
Artist Talk | July 28th 

Through decomposition, soil is made fertile for seeds to take root. What should we construct from what needs to be deconstructed—systems, ideologies, images, a line, a composition, a theory? What should or could grow in its place? In the decay of dated systems and ideas for art, culture, politics, artists can plant new seeds and imagine new ecosystems

This group exhibition features 19 members from the artist collective, Carnation Contemporary (Portland, OR), uprooting and inserting disparate forms of entangled histories, questions, fears, grief, and longing embedded in seen and unseen structures. Themes of archetypal life cycles, ephemerality, consumption, ritual, generational knowledge, motherhood, and intimacy are shown side by side as simultaneously expansive and oddly specific. From projected landscapes on a desert-sun-bleached can to dusty poems encased in a block of soap to a CRT television with robotic news mining social media, reclaimed and constructed materials present themselves in various states of composure and disarray. Collectively, the work in this show serves as an invitation for SOIL members, asking them to respond, in turn, at Carnation‘s gallery in November 2024. 

These exchanges between artist collectives are made possible by a RACC Art3C grant.

Image details:
Rachael Zur,  A Careful Arrangement of Chairs and the Cosmos
Expanded Painting, (plaster gauze, wood, acrylic, spray paint, resin, and fabric)
21.25”h x 15”w x .75”d, 2023

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

Opening tomorrow!
Composition / Decomposition
July 5th - July 28th 
Exhibition Opening | Thursday, July 11th 
Artist Talk | July 28th 

Through decomposition, soil is made fertile for seeds to take root. What should we construct from what needs to be deconstructed—systems, ideologies, images, a line, a composition, a theory? What should or could grow in its place? In the decay of dated systems and ideas for art, culture, politics, artists can plant new seeds and imagine new ecosystems

This group exhibition features 19 members from the artist collective, Carnation Contemporary (Portland, OR), uprooting and inserting disparate forms of entangled histories, questions, fears, grief, and longing embedded in seen and unseen structures. Themes of archetypal life cycles, ephemerality, consumption, ritual, generational knowledge, motherhood, and intimacy are shown side by side as simultaneously expansive and oddly specific. From projected landscapes on a desert-sun-bleached can to dusty poems encased in a block of soap to a CRT television with robotic news mining social media, reclaimed and constructed materials present themselves in various states of composure and disarray. Collectively, the work in this show serves as an invitation for SOIL members, asking them to respond, in turn, at Carnation‘s gallery in November 2024. 

These exchanges between artist collectives are made possible by a RACC Art3C grant.

Image details:
Chris Lael Larson,  Untitled 5267
From the series Beginner Nudes
Archival Inkjet Print
20” x 30” x 2”, 2024

Hope to see you at the gallery on Thursday!

Composition / Decomposition
July 5th - July 28th 
Exhibition Opening | Thursday, July 11th 
Artist Talk | July 28th 

Through decomposition, soil is made fertile for seeds to take root. What should we construct from what needs to be deconstructed—systems, ideologies, images, a line, a composition, a theory? What should or could grow in its place? In the decay of dated systems and ideas for art, culture, politics, artists can plant new seeds and imagine new ecosystems

This group exhibition features 19 members from the artist collective, Carnation Contemporary (Portland, OR), uprooting and inserting disparate forms of entangled histories, questions, fears, grief, and longing embedded in seen and unseen structures. Themes of archetypal life cycles, ephemerality, consumption, ritual, generational knowledge, motherhood, and intimacy are shown side by side as simultaneously expansive and oddly specific. From projected landscapes on a desert-sun-bleached can to dusty poems encased in a block of soap to a CRT television with robotic news mining social media, reclaimed and constructed materials present themselves in various states of composure and disarray. Collectively, the work in this show serves as an invitation for SOIL members, asking them to respond, in turn, at Carnation’s gallery in November 2024. 

These exchanges between artist collectives are made possible by a RACC Art3C grant.

Image details:
Allan Pichardo,Talkinghead 2.0, CRT television, 
interactive chatbot software on single-board computer, 
animated collage, audio
12”h x 16”w x 16”d, 2023

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

✨Last day! ✨
Low Dust
On view June 6 – June 29
Opening reception: June 6, 5-8pm
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

Jasmine Zhang, Natasha Loewy and Leyi (Ruby) Yang present Low Dust, a multimedia exhibition that approaches the idea of performance from different perspectives. 

With a playful undertone and slippery intentions, the artists twist the functions of objects and actions to reconsider the structure of language and its relationship to art. Through self-performed sculptures, private acts of maintenance, and performances initiated with social engagement, the artists blur the boundaries between performers, objects, and audience and unveil their ongoing inquiries into the potential of poetic language.

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

💥Last day!💥
Flown
by Ellen Ziegler

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown: a juxtaposition of natural and accidental occurrence.

1. Over time I have collected over 30 birds’ nests. They belonged to crows, robins, bushtits, perhaps a hawk. Robins, stellar jays, house finches and hummingbirds. All were clearly abandoned — no birds were unhoused.

2. My new acrylic pens had been under pressure traveling for eight hours in the hold of a plane. When I went to use them, the ink exploded out of the tip as soon as it touched the paper. Most of it squirted out of in one puddle, necessitating a change of course...

Materials with unpredictable outcome allow for accident and serendipity as well as an ongoing refinement of technique: chemistry is the emotion of matter.

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown.

Ellen Ziegler sources the immaterial through the material. Her practice includes painting, drawing, sculpture, assemblage, and artist’s books. She works with pigments, mirrored glass, tar paper, cyanotype, and draws with an electrode on a copper table. 

Ziegler is a self-taught artist. She was Artist-in-Residence at Amazon in 2023 as well as receiving the Centrum Residency the same year. She was awarded the 2015 Artist Trust Fellowship and the 1987 Rome Fellowship from the Civita Institute. She has exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, London and Sofia.

About her work, she says, “What I’ve learned: risk-taking, mistakes and experimentation are collaborations with the unknown. And boundaries are not useful for innovation.”

✨Last two days!✨
Low Dust
On view June 6 – June 29
Opening reception: June 6, 5-8pm
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

Jasmine Zhang, Natasha Loewy and Leyi (Ruby) Yang present Low Dust, a multimedia exhibition that approaches the idea of performance from different perspectives. 

With a playful undertone and slippery intentions, the artists twist the functions of objects and actions to reconsider the structure of language and its relationship to art. Through self-performed sculptures, private acts of maintenance, and performances initiated with social engagement, the artists blur the boundaries between performers, objects, and audience and unveil their ongoing inquiries into the potential of poetic language.

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

💥Last two days!💥
Flown
by Ellen Ziegler

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown: a juxtaposition of natural and accidental occurrence.

1. Over time I have collected over 30 birds’ nests. They belonged to crows, robins, bushtits, perhaps a hawk. Robins, stellar jays, house finches and hummingbirds. All were clearly abandoned — no birds were unhoused.

2. My new acrylic pens had been under pressure traveling for eight hours in the hold of a plane. When I went to use them, the ink exploded out of the tip as soon as it touched the paper. Most of it squirted out of in one puddle, necessitating a change of course...

Materials with unpredictable outcome allow for accident and serendipity as well as an ongoing refinement of technique: chemistry is the emotion of matter.

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown.

Ellen Ziegler sources the immaterial through the material. Her practice includes painting, drawing, sculpture, assemblage, and artist’s books. She works with pigments, mirrored glass, tar paper, cyanotype, and draws with an electrode on a copper table. 

Ziegler is a self-taught artist. She was Artist-in-Residence at Amazon in 2023 as well as receiving the Centrum Residency the same year. She was awarded the 2015 Artist Trust Fellowship and the 1987 Rome Fellowship from the Civita Institute. She has exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, London and Sofia.

About her work, she says, ”What I’ve learned: risk-taking, mistakes and experimentation are collaborations with the unknown. And boundaries are not useful for innovation.“

Low Dust
On view June 6 – June 29
Opening reception: June 6, 5-8pm
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

Jasmine Zhang, Natasha Loewy and Leyi (Ruby) Yang present Low Dust, a multimedia exhibition that approaches the idea of performance from different perspectives. 

With a playful undertone and slippery intentions, the artists twist the functions of objects and actions to reconsider the structure of language and its relationship to art. Through self-performed sculptures, private acts of maintenance, and performances initiated with social engagement, the artists blur the boundaries between performers, objects, and audience and unveil their ongoing inquiries into the potential of poetic language.

Hope to see you at the gallery this week!

Low Dust
On view June 6 – June 29
Opening reception: June 6, 5-8pm
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

Jasmine Zhang, Natasha Loewy and Leyi (Ruby) Yang present Low Dust, a multimedia exhibition that approaches the idea of performance from different perspectives. 

With a playful undertone and slippery intentions, the artists twist the functions of objects and actions to reconsider the structure of language and its relationship to art. Through self-performed sculptures, private acts of maintenance, and performances initiated with social engagement, the artists blur the boundaries between performers, objects, and audience and unveil their ongoing inquiries into the potential of poetic language.

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

Flown
by Ellen Ziegler

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown: a juxtaposition of natural and accidental occurrence.

1. Over time I have collected over 30 birds’ nests. They belonged to crows, robins, bushtits, perhaps a hawk. Robins, stellar jays, house finches and hummingbirds. All were clearly abandoned — no birds were unhoused.

2. My new acrylic pens had been under pressure traveling for eight hours in the hold of a plane. When I went to use them, the ink exploded out of the tip as soon as it touched the paper. Most of it squirted out of in one puddle, necessitating a change of course...

Materials with unpredictable outcome allow for accident and serendipity as well as an ongoing refinement of technique: chemistry is the emotion of matter.

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown.

Ellen Ziegler sources the immaterial through the material. Her practice includes painting, drawing, sculpture, assemblage, and artist’s books. She works with pigments, mirrored glass, tar paper, cyanotype, and draws with an electrode on a copper table. 

Ziegler is a self-taught artist. She was Artist-in-Residence at Amazon in 2023 as well as receiving the Centrum Residency the same year. She was awarded the 2015 Artist Trust Fellowship and the 1987 Rome Fellowship from the Civita Institute. She has exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, London and Sofia.

About her work, she says, “What I’ve learned: risk-taking, mistakes and experimentation are collaborations with the unknown. And boundaries are not useful for innovation.”

Hope to see you at the gallery this week!

We’ve added an artist talk on Sunday, 12 noon, at Soil. Come on down and hear the improbable story of FLOWN. Soil Gallery, 112 3rd Ave. S.

💥Opening Tonight!!!💥

Flown
by Ellen Ziegler

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown: a juxtaposition of natural and accidental occurrence.

1. Over time I have collected over 30 birds’ nests. They belonged to crows, robins, bushtits, perhaps a hawk. Robins, stellar jays, house finches and hummingbirds. All were clearly abandoned — no birds were unhoused.

2. My new acrylic pens had been under pressure traveling for eight hours in the hold of a plane. When I went to use them, the ink exploded out of the tip as soon as it touched the paper. Most of it squirted out of in one puddle, necessitating a change of course...

Materials with unpredictable outcome allow for accident and serendipity as well as an ongoing refinement of technique: chemistry is the emotion of matter.

Flight, fleeing, flow, flown.

Ellen Ziegler sources the immaterial through the material. Her practice includes painting, drawing, sculpture, assemblage, and artist’s books. She works with pigments, mirrored glass, tar paper, cyanotype, and draws with an electrode on a copper table. 

Ziegler is a self-taught artist. She was Artist-in-Residence at Amazon in 2023 as well as receiving the Centrum Residency the same year. She was awarded the 2015 Artist Trust Fellowship and the 1987 Rome Fellowship from the Civita Institute. She has exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, London and Sofia.

About her work, she says, “What I’ve learned: risk-taking, mistakes and experimentation are collaborations with the unknown. And boundaries are not useful for innovation.”

New exhibition opens on this Thursday!
Low Dust
On view June 6 – June 29
Opening reception: June 6, 5-8pm
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

Jasmine Zhang, Natasha Loewy and Leyi (Ruby) Yang present Low Dust, a multimedia exhibition that approaches the idea of performance from different perspectives. 

With a playful undertone and slippery intentions, the artists twist the functions of objects and actions to reconsider the structure of language and its relationship to art. Through self-performed sculptures, private acts of maintenance, and performances initiated with social engagement, the artists blur the boundaries between performers, objects, and audience and unveil their ongoing inquiries into the potential of poetic language.

Hope to see you at the gallery on Thursday!

💥Last day!💥

Intertwined Realities
by Sunny Moxin Chen, jade wong, Nanxi Jin, Rulin Ma, Jia Jia     .i.a

On view May 2nd – June 1st 
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

The very essence of human existence resonates with its ever-evolving nature, notably in the changing body, experiences of loss, and the deep-seated longing propelling us forward.

”Intertwined Realities“ offers an immersive journey into these dimensions, merging the concepts of the body‘s adaptability as a mechanism for escape and transformation with the visual representations of our intertwined identities.

These identities, in flux and influenced by external forces, are integral to our understanding. Furthermore, the exhibition champions a multi-sensory approach, encouraging attendees to deeply process and internalize their experiences, fostering personal growth.

”Intertwined Realities“ invites reflection on our collective human journey, enveloping visitors in a rich tapestry of interconnected narratives. In this space, visitors are not mere observers but active participants, finding fragments of their own stories in the confluence of shared experiences.

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

💥Last two days!💥

Intertwined Realities
by Sunny Moxin Chen, jade wong, Nanxi Jin, Rulin Ma, Jia Jia     .i.a

On view May 2nd – June 1st 
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

Image details: Jia Jia, Bones in Winter, clay, plastic, 2021-2024, 90 x 55 in.

Jia Jia is a visual artist based in Seattle. Draws inspiration from the Chinese heritage, her practice uses satire and humor to imagine everyday objects anew through sculptures, installations, and videos. Jia Jia received an MFA in 3D4M from the University of Washington (2021) and a BFA in Ceramics and Product Design from China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (2016).

Artist Statement:
As an immigrant, my art is an exploration of identity, adaptation, and the nuanced resistance against the pressures of capitalism and politics. Through my work, I delve into the intricate tapestry of my personal journey, navigating a world shaped by globalization and migration. By illuminating the complexities of cultural assimilation and power dynamics, my art serves as a mirror to the immigration experiences, challenging societal norms and questioning the individual of being reduced to a mere ”product“ conforming to efficiency standards. Through my artistic expression, I celebrate resilience and the ongoing process of identity navigation in a diverse and ever-evolving society. And my art invites viewers to engage with themes of adaptation, subtle resistance, and imperfection.

Hope to see you at the gallery today!

Intertwined Realities

by Sunny Moxin Chen, jade wong, Nanxi Jin, Rulin Ma, Jia Jia     .i.a

On view May 2nd – June 1st 
Gallery hours : Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-5pm

Image details: Sunny Moxin Chen, Untitled, 2024, acrylic, Chinese ink, tempera, precipitation on canvas, 24” x 36”

Sunny Moxin Chen (b.1996, Moscow) is a Chinese multi-disciplinary artist and educator currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Chen teaches at the Queens Museum and has shown works in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, London, Beijing, etc. Chen holds an MFA in Painting from Boston University and a BFA dual degree in Painting & Studio for Interrelated Media from Massachusetts College of Art & Design.

Artist Statement:
As a Moscow-born-Chinese who migrated to the U.S. since high school, I consciously and unconsciously use my art as a medium to link my multi-cultural awarenesses that I bring together to form my “selves”. My legal name “MòXīn” (in pinyin) stands for “a new star that was born in Moscow”, according to my parents. On the other hand, the literal meaning of “Mò” in Chinese means “not” and “Xīn”means something new. Since I was born , I have been constantly moving and living in numerous places that are called “home”. I search for the ideas of be-ing and be-longing by painting, collaging, and sculpting. Colors, forms, and materials symbolize personal histories and cultural nomadism. Specifically, my work explores individual consciousness, identity formation, and the existence or lack thereof of safe spaces to nurture identity as an individual and as a society.

My works investigate and recontextualizes my visions in both traditional and unconventional materials that are linked to the concept of physical and spiritual space, the self, and how one breaks from past selves—rebuilds new conceptions of self through the environments and experiences that surround them—and rebridges the boundaries between themselves through a process that is as much blending as it is destroying.

Hope to see you at the gallery today!