Media Contact
Timothy Brown
Hillyer Director
hillyerdirector@artsandartists.org

PRESS RELEASE

Newly Selected Artists: Elaine Qiu, Kim Richards, and Alexandra Chiou, March 2–March 31, 2024. The opening reception is Friday, March 1 (“First Friday”), 6 to 8 p.m

Elaine Qiu

Every Place We’ve Been 

How have the events of the past years, from the pandemic to renewed global conflicts, affected our collective consciousness? How should we move forward in the remaking of this post pandemic world? Initially a simple chronicle of life in quarantine, the exhibition, Every Place We’ve Been, dives into the disorienting experiences of the last years on both collective and personal levels. Using images culled from various archival sources, as well as personal snapshots, the exhibition examines how history becomes a collective embodied memory and draws attention to the boundaries between the personal and the public.

Kim Richards

Into the Wilderness

Into the Wilderness is a metaphor for our lives. We can be lost in challenging and impossible situations—not knowing what may lie ahead. It can be scary if we are alone or don’t have some form of guidance and protection. Kim Richards aspires through these paintings to give the assurance that we are not alone. We have the ultimate guide and protector who helps us to navigate and survive this wilderness—God, via the Holy Spirit and His angels. The paintings in this exhibition embody a narrative of being called by God to help us face the unexpected challenges that lie ahead, so that we can travel through the wilderness, restored and at peace. 

Alexandra Chiou

Remember/Renew

Remember / Renew celebrates the life and legacy of Alexandra Chiou’s late father and her healing journey after his passing. In the exhibition, Chiou gives physical form to abstract concepts and feelings such as hope, love, joy and wonder, which defined the wonderful life and time she spent with her father. Many of her recent works focus specifically on memories of her childhood home in Virginia. After her father’s passing, her family made the difficult decision to move away, leaving behind a house filled with cherished memories. Several pieces in this exhibition are about coming to terms with this change and finding peace and healing in memories of home, love, and family. 

Image Credits (Top to Bottom): 

Elaine Qiu, Every Place We’ve Been, 2024,  Ink, silk screen, markers, acrylic on Yupo paper. Dimensions varied; Kim Richards, Into the Light, 2022, oil on wood, 12 X 12 in; Alexandria Chiou,This Path of Gold You Laid for Me, 2021, ink and cut paper, 35 x 35 in (unframed); 40.5 x 40.5 in (framed)