Tracing Utopia: Wall Drawing #1

One of my recent projects has been a series of wall drawings, which take place in various locations throughout the Parsons Fine Arts building. Here is the first one, featured in the 25 East Gallery exhibition "In Response to Fundamentalism" in February. The drawings are created with water-based ink applied directly on the wall. The images of suburban neighborhoods are both appearing and dissolving into the space, creating an impermanence and fragility.

full view of installation in 25 East Gallery, NYC

detail of Tracing Utopia

Opening Reception: In Response to Fundamentalism

Having a week to organize an exhibition was no easy feat for Loretta Lomanto and myself. But being the badass ladies we are, we pulled it off, with thanks to the contributing artists. Here are some photos from the opening reception on Wednesday:

detail of my piece, "Tracing Utopia", ink drawing on the wall

i'm chatting with my bf Greg and his friend Claire in front of "Tracing Utopia".

artist Tom Pnini seems suspicious of the artsy crowd.

MFA candidates enjoying the first show of 2010 in the 25 East Gallery.

Anthony Aziz, professor and also former Director of the Parsons MFA program, is always the life of the party!

Superhero Pnini! Wall drawing titled "Book Wars" by Josh Bricker

Superhero faculty Andrea Geyer and Anthony Aziz

Digital Artwork by Loretta Lomanto. This piece is titled "The Wedding"

A fine-looking group of Parsons fine artists

from left: Thomas O'Grady, Beom Do Seo, Brendan McCarthy, Andrea Geyer, Adelaid Harrison, Nana Asante, Gene Kim, Mona Kamal, and Mary Younkin

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the show!

Exhibition: In Response to Fundamentalism

A group exhibition, organized by myself and Loretta Lomanto, will open at 25 East Gallery at 25 E13th Street, New York City, this Wednesday February 17th.

Fundamentalism: • noun 1 a form of Protestant Christianity which upholds belief in the strict and literal interpretation of the Bible. 2 the strict maintenance of the ancient or fundamental doctrines of any religion or ideology.

In the history of art making, these select artists have used their works to rebel or respond to fundamentalisms present in their society. The artists chosen for this exhibition have responded to fundamentalism in various ways and methods. Whether at the forefront of their practice, or in response to personal histories, fundamental beliefs are being challenged, reflected upon, with new ideas created. Whether in response to power, familial and societal repression, global responses to cultural suppression, Religion, and limits on sexuality, this exhibit hopes to broaden the Contemporary dialogue of rebellion.

beginning again to begin again

The new year has been rich so far with the beginning of the last semester in the Parsons MFA program. I have been working on several paintings, and working from photos taken in the suburbs of Southern California. You can see the progress in my studio below.

As Michael Auping wrote of Robert Bechtle's photorealistic paintings of California in the 70s, I also wish to "create a slightly incomplete portrait of the American experience. At the same time, there is a certain emptiness in these scenes, a disturbing suggestion of incomplete lives".

My goals in this thesis semester are to pursue this "dark underbelly" in my work, the thread which has always existed, but has lacked strong presence. Like a stranger standing behind me, I can hear it's breathe, I can feel the goosebumps running along my arm, but can't quite grasp the sense of unease.

adding elements to photos using photoshop

3'x4' painting in progress in the studio

tomorrow is here!

some may call it messy, i call it inspiration

Open Studios 2009

The Parsons MFA Open Studios was a packed event last Wednesday. Here are some images from my studio.

view walking into my studio

The Importance of _____. invited people to fill in the blank.

video screening "Dreamwalking", wall drawing of a walking-map and text of a diary entry related to the walk experience.

"I like walking because it is slow, and I suspect that the mind, like the feet, works at about three miles an hour. If this is so, the modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought, or thoughtfulness." - from Wanderlust by Rebecca Solnit

Save the Date: Parsons MFA Fine Arts Open Studios

NOVEMBER 18th /6-9 pm

25 E13th Street 5TH FLOOR, NY, NY 10009

Please join the Parsons community for the open studios of Nana Asante, Rehan Bashir, Monica Bernal, Joshua Bricker, Daniel Carlson, Alexandre Cavalcanti, Yen-Ting Chung, Daniela Di Donato, Casey James Diskin, Morgan Ersery, Azin Feizabadi, Danielle Goldsmith, Atalay Harrison, Mauricio Herrero, Lea Jeffire, Mona Kamal, Gene Kim, Kenna Kindig, Chi-Yun Lee, Shihchieh Lo, Loretta Lomanto, Tatiana Lyubeskaya, Neha Majithia, Chris Mansour, Brendan McCarthy, Bojan Mitrevski, Ana Mora, Thomas O’Grady, Bridget O’Rourke, Tom Pnini, Rayna Savrosa, Beom Do Seo, Nicholas Shifrin, JD Siazon, Logan Sibrel, Alexandria Smith, Tomoe Tsutsumi, John Wanzel, Isabelle Webster, Magnus Weik, Guangyu Wu, Mary Younkin and Michelle Yu.

Parsons Fine Arts will open its MFA studios and student gallery to the public on Wednesday November 18th from 6-9pm. This showcase offers visitors a glimpse of a challenging studio art program ensconced within a school of art, media and technology that embraces interdisciplinary experimentation and innovation. Featuring video works about pro democracy movements in Iran, painting and photo collages that address gender and sexuality, sculptural engagements with the televisual and drawings that evoke the experience of displacement, the creative output of the Parsons MFA students extends the boundaries of contemporary cultural expression.

On knowing and non-knowing

"...knowing must therefore be accompanied by an equal capacity to forget knowing. Non-knowing is not a form of ignorance but a difficult transcendence of knowledge..."

(Jean Lescure on a painting of Charles Lapicque, from The Poetics of Space, pg. xxxii)

view on today's walk from Greenpoint, Brooklyn