Luis Flores

Luis Flores

March 6-28, 2015

LAS RUINAS SON TESTIGO  (Ruins As Witness)

The words TESTIGOS (Witnesses) and RUINAS (Ruins) provide a parenthetical framework for my recent assemblages and works on paper. Collectively, they read like silent, solitary documents of migratory movement and a changing landscape.  The fragmentary quality of many of the works, made of found material, alludes to a story of struggle and difficult passage from and to places unknown.

Flores moved to Baltimore, MD in 1978 to pursue graduate studies at the Maryland Institute, College of Art. His mixed media works and installations have been viewed in alternative spaces and museums throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Flores’ creative pursuits as an artist and educator have helped develop and inspire young talent at the Baltimore School for the Arts for more than three decades. A recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, he is represented by Goya Contemporary-Goya Girl Press in Baltimore, MD. His work can be seen in their summer exhibit MATERIAL MATTERS, as well as in Arlington Art Center’s 40th Anniversary Exhibit, REPRISE: Home Again.

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Linda Hesh

February 6-28, 2015

Linda Hesh’s All Gay Review

Growing up in Chicago, two gay men seemed to always be at my mother’s side. My father did nothing to hide his distain for them, which I found confusing since these men seemed fun and sweet. His homophobia was joined by racism and misogyny. My art is one way for me to right his wrongs.

I also believe that my civil rights hinge on everyone’s equal standing in our society. As rights are gained by one marginalized group, advances for others are more easily gained. So though this exhibit has been inspired by Marriage Equality slogans, scientific observations of same sex animal behavior, and the history of Gay Culture, you may find analogies with other movements for equality and fair treatment.

Linda Hesh uses art to explore the relationship between the personal and political, identity and marginalization, through public interactive pieces as well as exhibition work. She has shown locally at the Museum of the Americas, the Katzen Art Center, G Fine Art and Hamiltonian Gallery. Hesh has been part of public art festivals in St. Petersburg Russia, Chicago and New York City. Public Collections holding her art include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Museum for Women in the Arts and the Kinsey Institute.

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Andrea Barnes

February 6-28, 2015

Reconcile

Reconcile is about process – the struggle – between order and disorder. I explore an unsettled, inner space of tension and transition, where multiple outcomes are still possible and a solid conclusion has not yet been formed. 

 

I approach each piece as an individual arena where the struggle is addressed in its own moment, from its unique angle, raising its own set of possibilities. Elements drawn from experience, memories, dreams, graphic and scientific diagrams, might be repeated between pieces but shift in scale or become veiled like memories, where they play new roles in each new context.

Rooted in my interest in collage, drawing, and sketchbooks, my process is intuitive but focused primarily on formal concerns. I work through the problem by layering and integrating disparate images and materials, moving each piece in its own direction until suggestions for new associations emerge from the process itself.

The visual tension between organic and hard-edged elements mirrors the inner conflict between emotion and reason. Reconcile depicts an uncertain space, full of potential, offering a glimpse at a moment of openness, a chance to spot the forces at play. Here, we can listen, search, and absorb before new insights take hold.

Andrea Barnes is a Washington DC area artist working in drawing, painting, and mixed media. In her abstract work, she combines found images including charts, diagrams, scientific illustrations, maps, and photographs with expressive handling of paint. Her figurative work emphasizes emotional connection while pushing scale and range of materials. Her work has won awards in regional and national juried exhibitions and is included in numerous private collections. Barnes received a B.A. in philosophy from Colgate University and studied fine art at the School of Visual Arts, New York NY and the Corcoran College of Art & Design, Washington DC. She works from her studio in Maryland.
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Jason Yen

February 6-28, 2015

Adventures in Cardboard Relief

My artwork sometimes takes a critical view of social, political, cultural and personal issues. However, sometimes, there is no significant meaning at all – the works are to just be light-hearted and comical in a fictitious manner. My aim is usually just to see people smile in a clever way.

Using discarded materials such as cardboard picked-up from the street and junk-mail/magazines; my work is a way that I can recycle and be environmentally responsible. The way I produce my work is also very cost effective, as I do not spend a lot on the supplies necessary to finish the work. However, it takes many hours and patience to produce each piece.

The real value of my work comes from its uniqueness and complexity. It take hours of cutting and pasting, layering for dimension, and colorization of my work through meticulous collage. You can often find a variety of symbolism in the detail of the collage.

For his professional career, Jason Yen works as an Art Director. Yen designs publication and advertising layouts for three Washington, DC Community news magazines: Hillrag, Midcity DC, and East of the River. Yen does his cardboard art, as well as other projects, on the side as a way to relax and be creative without any boundaries. He used to have an artist studio in Mt. Pleasant, but now does his work out of his home. Yen has lived in Washington, DC for 11 years.
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