Revisiting Memory, Reclaiming Space
Opening Reception:
November 12th 5pm-9pm
Artist Talk @ 7:30pm
Monique D. López and Abel Rodriguez met during their undergraduate art studies at CSU Long Beach. As artists of color, they quickly realized that representation of their narratives were not being addressed and that owning and reflecting their identity was paramount to making their narratives visible. They needed to find a way to express the obstacles they faced as youth growing up in gang entrenchment and dealing with traumatic experiences. Being traditionally trained in drawing and painting, they refuted the European imposition of the art historical narrative by pushing the boundaries that dictated how these works should be made and exhibited. In doing so, they began to question and redefine what they learned, extend the use of conventional materials, and question the expectation of what they should do.
Monique D. López’s hand-cut watercolor and ink pieces reflect her trauma of witnessing her father succumbing to cancer. This experience led her to use disease as a metaphor to depict something invasive that cannot be controlled. Referencing color saturated microscopic images of diseased cells emulates her question of how something beautiful could be deadly as she brings the micro to the macro by “eliminating the plane” and has the intrusive pieces infect the space.
Abel Rodriguez depicts actual images of acquaintances in various states of being from his at-risk youth experience. Being queer in a gang he depicted images of pride, pain and despair disrupting constructs of patriarchy and masculinity through the use of materials like glitter and metallic surfaces. The hyper-masculine poses serves as a means of survival in masking emotions, queer identity and femininity.
The works in this exhibition were produced over the past 10 plus years and some have never been exhibited until now. Through this exhibit these artists document their narrative and create a space where they reclaim their existence.
Opening Reception:
November 12th 5pm-9pm
Artist Talk @ 7:30pm
Monique D. López and Abel Rodriguez met during their undergraduate art studies at CSU Long Beach. As artists of color, they quickly realized that representation of their narratives were not being addressed and that owning and reflecting their identity was paramount to making their narratives visible. They needed to find a way to express the obstacles they faced as youth growing up in gang entrenchment and dealing with traumatic experiences. Being traditionally trained in drawing and painting, they refuted the European imposition of the art historical narrative by pushing the boundaries that dictated how these works should be made and exhibited. In doing so, they began to question and redefine what they learned, extend the use of conventional materials, and question the expectation of what they should do.
Monique D. López’s hand-cut watercolor and ink pieces reflect her trauma of witnessing her father succumbing to cancer. This experience led her to use disease as a metaphor to depict something invasive that cannot be controlled. Referencing color saturated microscopic images of diseased cells emulates her question of how something beautiful could be deadly as she brings the micro to the macro by “eliminating the plane” and has the intrusive pieces infect the space.
Abel Rodriguez depicts actual images of acquaintances in various states of being from his at-risk youth experience. Being queer in a gang he depicted images of pride, pain and despair disrupting constructs of patriarchy and masculinity through the use of materials like glitter and metallic surfaces. The hyper-masculine poses serves as a means of survival in masking emotions, queer identity and femininity.
The works in this exhibition were produced over the past 10 plus years and some have never been exhibited until now. Through this exhibit these artists document their narrative and create a space where they reclaim their existence.
About the Artist, Abel Rodriguez
Abel Rodriguez is a Queer Xicano artist who was born in Fairfield, CA in 1979. He received a MFA degree in Painting from Yale School of Art in 2010, and a BFA in Drawing and Painting and Graphic Design from California State University, Long Beach in 2007. He was selected to participate in the Artist in Residence Program at Recology, S.F. in 2011. He has exhibited nationwide and currently works and resides in Vallejo, CA. |
About the artist, Monique D. López
Monique D. López was born in 1979 in Downey, CA. Growing up in one of the barrios in Los Angeles she focused on her education as a way out. In 2006 she attained a BFA in Drawing and Painting from CSU Long Beach. She made a life-changing move to the bay area to attend California College of the Arts and received a MFA in Fine Art in 2010. In 2009 she was the recipient of the McNamara Family Creative Arts Grant from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Currently, she lives and works in San Francisco. |