Tyra Mitchell

Raising Our Youth

June 7 – 30, 2019

Raising Our Youth is an exploration of young families who inhabit Washington, DC and how they are navigating through their heavily gentrified hometown along with the many obstacles of parenthood—all while highlighting the beauty that still resides in the former “Chocolate City.” Through film photography and VHS video, this body of work aims to encapsulate the stories of Washington, DC’s natives, how gentrification has affected our city’s rich culture, and how it affects generations to come. Raising Our Youth is meant to start a conversation surrounding what it’s like to be young and raising a family in your hometown that now feels foreign.

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Tyra Mitchell is a visual artist born and raised in Washington, DC. Tyra has spent the previous five years living and working in New York City. While there, she has had the opportunity to partner with many other creatives and brands. She gained her start by interning and freelancing enough to eventually make a name for herself in the creative community in New York. Her photography work has been featured in various publications, most notably Opening Ceremony, Refinery29, and W Magazine. Tyra has now relocated back to her hometown to raise her family and create work that explores her upbringing in DC and its distinct culture. Tyra is a strong believer in creating spaces for marginalized communities. Her latest venture, Art Mom Project, is an online platform that serves as a safe space for creative mothers to share their artwork and stories.

www.tyramitchell.com

CONSTELLATIONS/MIGRATION

May 3 – June 30, 2019

For an artist, it is always a unique challenge to glean new insights from complex phenomena, such as that of human migration—an ancient, mysterious process that involves many peoples and nations and a welter of data and cultural forces. In CONSTELLATIONS/MIGRATION, Rome-based artist Pietro Ruffo draws inspiration from the geographers, cartographers, and astronomers of antiquity to tackle the timeless mysteries of human movement, conflict, and assimilation. Assuming that migration and resettlement have always been central to the survival of all species, the artist explores these elusive themes in a series of extraordinary works that reflect on the ancient frictions and fusions between peoples, places, and cultures of the world.

With these multifaceted works, this exhibition casts a spotlight on the timeless phenomena of the displacement of persons and cultures, from the rich perspective of global history.

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Pietro Ruffo (b. 1978) studied Architecture at the University of Rome before moving to New York for a research scholarship at Columbia University. Since 2004, he has been working in Rome from his studio at Pastificio Cerere. Ruffo’s art investigates the great issues of universal history—especially individual freedom and dignity, which are constantly threatened by the ongoing homogenization contemporary society. Ruffo’s main solo exhibitions include: Constelacoes Migracoes, Centro cultural Correios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; L’illusion parfaite, Galerie Italienne, Paris; Terra Incognita, Delhi; Breve storia del resto del mondo, Fondazione Puglisi Cosentino, Catania, Italy; SPAD SVII, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome; The Political Gymnasium, Blain Southern London; A Complex Instant, Moscow, special project for the Fourth Moscow Biennale; Irhal Irhal, Lorcan O’Neill Gallery, Rome.

www.pietroruffo.com

300.3A Creative-Compulsive Disorder

May 3 – June 2, 2019

The essential features of Creative-Compulsive Disorder are recurrent obsessions or compulsions to create just about anything—severe enough to be time-consuming and even to cause marked distress or significant impairment when the creative process cannot be carried out to satisfaction. For Deolazo, the title of his first solo exhibition refers to his journey through line and markmaking — whether two-dimensional or three-dimensional—to give form to the provocative thoughts, arguments, and symbolism that pass through his mind as he creates, always with a biting sense of humor. While living in Italy and throughout Europe for over thirty years, Deolazo was exposed to artwork that continues to influence his own work, as can be seen in his variations on classical themes from the European Masters. This exhibition gives insight into recurring topics important to him, such as sexuality, inclusiveness, technology, and symbolism.

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Marcel Artes Deolazo studied illustration at Syracuse University before moving to New York City to work in the fashion industry. He later relocated to Milan to work for Maison Valentino and other Italian fashion houses. Since then, he has freelanced as an illustrator for Italian Vogue and other Condé Nast publications. Deolazo currently maintains a studio located at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, an artist community on the waterfront of Old Town Alexandria. He was juried into the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association in 2015, and the majority of his work and art processes can be seen by the visiting public at his shared studio.

thehornypotter.com

Recalled in Human Memory

May 3 – May 26, 2019

Eric Uhlir’s current body of work explores abstraction in a visceral language of paint to consider the line between reference and history in an attempt to give voice to conflicted space. Irreverence and absurdity battle amid parables of conflict between civilization and the natural world.

Each piece springs from the experience of looking, using varying degrees of abstraction as the scaffolding on which Uhlir hangs references and structure to entice the viewer, while leaving entrances and exits relatively unobstructed. References are not secrets in these kinetic abstractions, they’re the condition of the work which enables the viewer to travel fluidly between content and context. A Géricault shipwreck or heroic Joan Mitchell become the culturally shared currency that allows us to relate to each other and make sense of a seemingly senseless present built on the triumphs and tragedies of the past.

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Eric Uhlir is a painter and photographer. He grew up in the sunny melting pot of 1980s Southern California and earned his BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003. He currently lives and works in Washington, DC with his wife Phoebe and their dog, Violet.

ericuhlir.com

Mengxi "Althea" Rao

Kokayi

Ada Pinkston

Jessica Mehta

João Pina

Kelli Rae Adams

Tariq O'Meally

Parallelism: Halcyon Arts Lab 2019

April 5-28, 2019

The language of art transcends the challenges of modern civic dialogue. It is a vehicle to create accessible and multi-layered interaction around topics that we may find uncomfortable or controversial. It is an essential part of our culture, our humanity, and the fabric of society.

The Halcyon Arts Lab Fellows are using their platform as Halcyon artists to engage communities and stakeholders alike in conversations about imperative issues of social justice. This exhibition, the only group exhibition of the residency, allows for glimpses into the wider, complex artistic practices of the Halcyon artists. These works aim to inspire conversation around the role of artists in conversations around impact as well as to represent a unique moment in the Fellows’ experience in Washington, DC.

These artists exemplify Halcyon’s belief that artists are not only leaders in their disciplines but also catalysts at the intersection of art and social justice.

-Nicole Dowd, Director of Arts Program, Halcyon

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Featured Artists
Kelli Rae Adams
Kokayi
Jessica Mehta
Tariq O’Meally
João Pina
Ada Pinkston
Mengxi “Althea” Rao

halcyonhouse.org/arts-lab