Unfolding

You cannot know one deeply until you see their vulnerability. Many of us pretend we are invincible. Being vulnerable is an impossible task for everybody. This is the time for us to recognize our emotion, to soften our fortress, to unfold our delicacy, and to reconcile with ourselves. Unfolding is a special portal inviting you to solve the puzzle hidden in the beautiful garden of your heart. Let the vulnerability guide you on the journey of finding yourself.

Curated by Melissa Gutierrez, Jaylan Ramos, Yuzhu Wang

.

Face to face, 2021 Framed photo, RC black and white print 16x20in
This photo is from a photo and cyanotype painting series ‘thinning the veil’, where i explored moments of overlapping time and mixed media processes to find a space in between.
Jeannie dale

En cama (In bed) Digital printing over yellow graph paper and fabric (Ed. of 20) 2x3in (folded)

open

https://youtu.be/9zTXD3x2sgM (full video)
Mariana Rey

11:11 water and ink painting performance
1:32 video painting

https://vimeo.com/770437695 (Full video)

Performance after visiting One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection 2022
Janella Mele

Tears, 2022 Acrylic, crackle, and oil on canvas 20x16in
Jon Feng

Break, 2022 Colored pencil on paper 12x9in
Elisabeth Gerald

Untitled, 2022 Urethane rubber, chalk on cotton rag paper 9x12in
Amy L Green

Untitled, 2021 Urethane, pastel , paper approx. 18x28in

Urethane rubber, paper approx. 20x 26in

My work is generated from an investigation with materials and abstraction. These works are made by soaking and pouring industrial materials onto the surface of paper and plastic. Working on both the back and front side, I respond to how the pigments seep through the fibers and collect creases, folds, fissures.
Amy L Green

Lab No.22, 2022 Oil on canvas 48x64in
Miao Suen

Blue Nude (Matisse), 2016 Oil on canvas 34x52in
My Artist-Hero Squish paintings are quotations of canonical paintings of women by modernist male artists that have been folded and run through press to create an uncanny doubling. Through this process, I study, confront, preserve, and symbolically destroy pieces from the male-dominated history of art.
Emily Mogavero

Explain It To Me, 2022 Gouache on paper panel in artist made frame 12 3/8x6x3 3/8in
Gouache painting of UFO exploring Atlantic Ocean in integral artist made frame

Brett Angel

Tend, 2022 Colored pencil on paper 12x9in
Elisabeth Gerald

Secrets, like hidden jewels inside, 2022 3d print, fabric, thread, pearls 6x4x3.5in

detail

From a multimedia series "If you know, you know", in celebration of opportunity, defiance, and the freedom that comes with reproductive autonomy - this sculpture confronts the stigma surrounding mental and physical health issues, and the culture of keeping these humanizing experiences as shameful secrets.
BARD

formed from grit and grime, 2022 3d print, fabric, thread, pearls 5x6x4in

detail

Continuing the confrontation of the stigma surrounding reproductive justice and mental and physical health issues, "formed from grit and grime" takes a scientific look at these issues by exploring human technology alongside nature as art materials and subject matter.
BARD

Flor Flotante (Uno), 2022 Graphite on paper 7x7in

Striking a balance between softness and sharpness this simplified flower symbolizes many things, namely it serves as a symbol of life grounding it’s connection to nature while also presenting themes of growth and renewal. I’m reminded of the process of a flower emerging from it’s bud as it reveals itself to the world and the many ways I learn from natural processes to inform both my artistic practice as well as my own complex understanding of the world around me.

Elias Andrés Taborda

Clumsy Spirits, 2022 Cardboard, Sawdust, Wood stains, Newspapers, Edible plants, Growing LED light 14.5x16x38in

It's the artist's sacred ritual form of nature. In art making, repeated and continuously manipulated waste materials is an act of meditation and prayer. The time-consuming and slow working process requires an amount of human labor that has significant meaning for revitalization and exertion to bring death to life. Studio practice is like a ritual ceremony that delivers the idea of symbiotic relationships, as humans are a part of the ecosystem.

Sohyoung Park

Aneurysm Amphora Concrete. Silicone, Steel, Wood 500x300x250in

“Aneurysm Amphora” is a triptych composed of 2 concrete blocks with imprints of the internal structure of the bottom half of a human skull, 9 wooden panels used as parts of boxes to cast the aforementioned blocks, displayed in a linear format on the wall, and one silicone mold (used to cast the impression), with 4 rods of rebar that were used to scrape the spinal cord cast clear of clay, and to suspend the mold. This piece is in reference to a hyper-awareness of death developed during my childhood due to the diagnosis of an immediate family member with a medical condition known as a brain aneurysm, defined as “A weakness in a blood vessel in the brain that balloons and fills with blood. Most intracranial aneurysms occur between the underside of the brain and the base of the skull. The aneurysm can leak or rupture, causing life-threatening bleeding.” Because this condition is completely silent, meaning no symptoms could be present until a bleed occurs and also potentially immediately fatal, I grew up knowing that at any moment this very close family member could die. Not only that, but that this is a genetic disorder so as a young child I began to become terrified that the same fate could occur to me at any moment, so I have always lived my life with the prospect of death directly behind me. This concept is expressed through 3 visual metaphors. Firstly the blocks of concrete with an impression of the internal structures of the skull, these tell the story of how it feels to have a headache when acutely aware of the possibility that it could mean you are having an aneurysm rupture, for most people a headache is an inconvenience, but for me it always felt like it could be a sign I was about to die, the feeling of the crushing headache and terror that ensues is expressed by the ridged concrete bearing down on the negative internal space. Secondly by the display of the panels sharing the creation of the blocks, as from the very genesis of the form it was built with its imperfection baked in, destined for failure. Thirdly the silicone mold being ripped apart by the rebar supporting it, for the act of it existing is slowly weakening it until it breaks.

Patrick Brennan

‘

secret no more, 2022 3d print, fabric, thread, pearls 2.5x4.5x5in

side view

As the final sculpture of the trio confronting the stigma surrounding reproductive justice and mental and physical health issues, "secret no more" celebrates the catharsis of sharing vulnerability with family and friends, and the beauty of normalizing shared experiences and moving toward a future of openness and acceptance.

BARD

My dream. Oil on Canvas 36x48in

My work investigates the development of the intimate gestural painting bound up with intrinsically sensation and inception. It allows my personal art practice connecting to broader impact, unifying personal vulnerability to the universal empathy.

Miao Suen

Woman (De Kooning 1945-1950), 2017 Oil on canvas 38x23in

My Artist-Hero Squish paintings are quotations of canonical paintings of women by modernist male artists that have been folded and run through press to create an uncanny doubling. Through this process, I study, confront, preserve, and symbolically destroy pieces from the male-dominated history of art.

Emily Mogavero

Fallout 22, 2022 Mixed media installation, collectibles, video projection and ink on mat board

https://vimeo.com/771864174/3bfc08b948 (full video)

Site specific installation performance in response to my landlords refusal to provide a livable property

Background looping animation: B+W Dino created 2017
Audio composed by Denver Nuckolls 2022

Janella Mele

Beating Hearts. Oil on Canvas 36x48in
Miao Suen

2016 Oil on canvas
To Be Looked At (edited by Kynaston McShine and Anne Umland. Installation of seven pieces from the series.
Emily Mogavero

Fragile. Dimensions Variable. Grapes, cabbage, tea, coffee, avocados, turmeric, magnolia flowers, strawberries, cherries, spinach, onion skins, blueberries, red roses, wire, and paper

Creating natural dyes via various compostable and organic materials, this work explores how small parts can combine to form a larger whole. As more and more parts are integrated, the form becomes less structurally sound. In addition, due to deriving color from natural materials, fading and browning will take place, allowing one to appreciate the present moment while also recognizing and anticipating impermanence and vulnerability.
Ashley Cristiano

David cooks dinner for me, 2022 Watercolor and ink on foam core 18x24in

framed

detail

detail

Janella Mele

Monster Sized, 2021 Gouache on paper panel in artist made frame 8 9/16x4x2 1/2in
Gouache painting of mystical creature in integral artist made frame.

Brett Angell

Moment, 2021 Gouache on paper panel in artist made frame 5 13/16x11 1/16x1 9/16in
Gouache painting of mystical scene over Atlantic Ocean in integral artist made frame

Brett Angell

Think of me as a condition. Digital Collage 8x10in

A behind the scenes look of an artist's computer desktop, using the "save as" feature as a personal diary entry combined with nostalgic imagery.

Cameron Boyce

Trail to Eden Garden, 2022 Cardboard, Brown Paper bags, Plastic waste, Plaster, Worms composting pod, Ceramics, Living plants, Plastic-eating Mushrooms. Soils, Water Bottle, Water irrigating system 167x107.9x60in
The installation “The Trail to Eden Garden” is the artist’s imaginary utopia and dystopia rooted in an ongoing interest to shift the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. The installation was built with waste materials such as cardboard, water-decayed plastic pieces, and brown paper bags. It coexists with biodegradable, eco-friendly materials such as pestalotiopsis microspora (a plastic-eating mushroom), blood-worms composting within a ceramic pod, and living plants. The theoretical system proposes environmentally sustainable living practices while still acknowledging the presence of dysfunctional residents and conditions. The restorative making process and continual supervision require performative human labor, which has a significant role in maintaining the system.

Sohyoung Park

Behind VA Shadows

Unfolding

︎︎︎