Anthony Palliparambil, Jr.

2014

#reIMAGINE

With the quick swipe of a finger, a simple photograph can be transformed into a vintage-hued snapshot of life, posted for millions to view, like, share, and comment on. Interested in borrowing this approach to “fast art,” Anthony Palliparambil, Jr., uses photographs from his personal archive and edits them entirely on an iPad. The repurposed images are frequently shared on various social media platforms to encourage feedback from both local and international audiences. As the project — a series called From the Archives — progressed, followers were invited to submit photographs from their own archives to be transformed into new works.

#reIMAGINE features 96 works created from the collective archives of Anthony Palliparambil, Jr., and his followers.

Anthony Palliparambil, Jr. is a painter and photographer who lives and works in Bowie, MD. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, his work has been seen at the Washington Project for the Arts/NoMA BID Lobby Project and the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, among other spaces. He is interested in exploring technology and the arts, and finding the bridge between the two. He takes an “art is for everyone” approach to creating, and shares his work with reckless abandon. #AnthonyAshwin

2014

Visible Iceland is a group exhibition featuring both American and Icelandic photographers Jillian Watkins, Elena Sheehan, Katrín Elvarsdóttir, Friðgeir Helgason, and Svavar Jonatansson. Organized by Jillian Watkins, this exhibit is presented in partnership with the Embassy of Iceland.

Statement by Jillian Watkins
Like the fervor of Icelandic volcanoes, this group exhibition was envisioned with the notion to simply display Iceland’s beauty and uniqueness true to form. In order to accomplish this, Icelandic photographers, who make up the bulk of the exhibit, were invited since they would portray their land in the most representative manner. That said, American photographer Elena Sheehan’s imagery was too powerful to dismiss and inclusion of her work was vital. Works in this exhibition showcase natural elements of the country and ranges from landscapes to abstract ice images.

So let us now venture onwards to Iceland and journey towards adventure, excitement and enchantment for a special place of unique beauty. For this is just the beginning, a sampling of more to come in the future of making Iceland visible.

2014

Last Car Running

This series of photographs is about a group of people within a subculture who work with what they have as they embrace the charm of destruction. In the process of grinding steel, burning rubber and showering sparks they fulfill their American dream; a dream of creating the indestructible car that is the last car running.
My photography of rural demolition derby embodies the raucous spirit of what is proudly called “contemporary redneck culture.” I’m drawn to this community’s creative ingenuity, shown in the ways they give new life to an old, all but abandoned icon of the American dream, the automobile. I use photography as a means to reflect on the thrill of the journey and the symbol of individual freedom the automobile promises each of us.

The defining elements of the demolition derby also mirror the dwindling blue-collar class evolving into a culture of facing the need to make do. I turned to photography as a way to face a disability and limited mobility. As a disabled photographer I continue to learn how to work with what I have, like the crews at the demolition derby. I directly use my career background in design and construction to fuel my passion and inspiration for creating images through interacting with others. I’m attracted to people, which is a starting point for making photographs.

After 25 years as a project manager in the design and construction industry Christine picked up a camera in 2010 as a way to face the onset of her disability and accompanying limited mobility. She utilizes her experience working with the design process and interaction with people as a starting point to make photographic images. She is an emerging photographer who’s photo essay Last Car Running was featured in the April 2013 issue of Photo Technique Magazine’s UNDEREXPOSED, the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2013 Projections Program and the September 2014 issue of Don’t Take Pictures. Recent awards include Juror’s Choice Award for the Contrast Exhibition at PH21 Gallery in Budapest, Hungary, 2nd Place in the New Creativity Exhibition at the New York Center for Photographic Arts and selection by the International Art & Artists for a solo exhibition at Hillyer Art Space in Washington, DC November 2014. Christine lives in Washington, DC.

2014

The First Inhabitants

I first became intrigued with the beauty of the surrounding jungles, caves and foliage that would inspire my current artistic direction during a trip to Southeast Asia. From that moment on, I became drawn to the idea of primordial landscapes free of man-made structures. Since then, my interest in unexplored terrains has morphed into a fascination with the beginnings of life, and the connections we humans share with our surrounding geography—for instance, the parallel between rivers and the blood that flows through our veins. In this most recent body of work, I utilize forms, shapes and colors synonymous with nature, the human body, and the cosmos to further investigate the common origin of all life forms. My mixed media pieces and paintings are abstract and organic, earthly but also imagined, reflecting my endeavor to portray, explore and celebrate the inception of life as we know it. Initially, I began creating large scale paintings in oils because of their rich and vibrant colors, as well as their fluidity. Since then I have gravitated towards pen, ink and watered down acrylic paint-­‐-­‐I love the transparency and airiness that these mediums allow me to achieve in my new pieces. Most recently, I have integrated layered cut paper into my work in order to add new textures and 3 dimensional elements to my pieces.

Alexandra Chiou is a visual artist interested in exploring the complex parallels between the natural world, geography and human anatomy. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2011 with a B.A. in Studio Art and a B.S. in Commerce. Her work has been exhibited in a number of galleries in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC including the Rawls Museum, artdc Gallery and Blind Whino: SW Arts Club. She currently resides in Arlington, Virginia.

2014

Photo Album

I create works that examine how memories are constructed and recalled. Snapshots of gatherings, celebrations, and other notable moments are translated into detailed line drawings and then overlaid to create semi-abstract compositions. These new images display a somewhat mysterious yet subtlety familiar space that holds a collision of diluted symbolism and traces of nostalgia. The source photographs are the results of our attempts to record an experience. They create a catalyst for recall.

However, the recollection in our mind is unique. By layering multiple images, I represent the phases I believe are used to develop these memories: the perception manufactured from expectation, the details recorded from experience, and the incompletely distinct recollection. The integrated result that becomes our memory is influenced and over written by different bits of information created from each of these steps. My works leverage this internal process by using visual insinuation to simultaneously present the individually meaningful moment and the universally shared familiar experience.

Lee Gainer is a visual artist who creates meticulous works that examine how memories are constructed and recalled. She is presently a resident in the competitive residency program at the Arlington Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia. Her work has been exhibited nationally including solo exhibits at the Arlington Arts Center, GRACE in Reston, Virginia, and Hillyer Art Space in Washington, D.C. Lee’s work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The American Prospect, The Atlantic, Fresh Paint, and YVI Magazine. Her works are part of the collections of the Washington D.C. Art Bank, the Rosslyn Renaissance Business Improvement District, the Indie Photobook Library, and The Newark Public Library, Special Collections Division. Online, her work has been presented at DailyServing, Humble Arts Foundation, Murmur DC, The Truth of Beauty, Today and Tomorrow, i like this art, Beautiful Decay, DesignBoom, and many others. She is a semi-finalist for the 2014 and 2013 Bethesda Painting Awards, a 2012 Trawick Prize semi-finalist, and a recipient of a Creative Communities Fund Grant for her work with the 2011 Source Festival. She attended VCU on scholarship and received a BFA, Cum Laude. Lee also curates a blog, Peek (www.leegainer.blogspot.com), which has presented a new contemporary artist each weekday since February 2008.