Saturday, September 14, 2019

Fabiola Jean-Louis at the Lux Art Institute



by Patricia Frischer

Pretty paper dresses in lovely colors, fancy shoes with glitter and bows are all very seductive eye candy. But go to this exhibition to see much, much more.  Fabiola Jean-Louis is working with concepts on levels that are so much deeper. She is not only placing black women in history in all sorts of scenarios, some real, some where they are empowered with a fantasy of what could or should have been. With her black and white photos, you feel pride even through the degradation of a situation. You are reminded of the dignity of a tribal race.  In her own words, Jean-Louis says she, "vandalizes history" to create her images and sculptures. 

And then their are the corsets that open up to depict more theatrical stories. Just like her doll-like house that allows you to peer into a space like Alice in Wonderland after drinking the bottle to make her large, you can peer beneath the surface of these breast plates. I first saw a white rodent silhouette hanging from a branch like a slave caught after trying to escape. Then the real slave is there wrapped in chains so there is no mistake.  

In studio and on exhibit until Sat. Nov 2, 2019 at Lux Art Institute

























Saturday, September 7, 2019

Chromatic: Grounding with Color with April Rose and Katie Ruiz at SD Mesa College Art Gallery

Katie Ruiz, Home


By Patricia Frischer

AUG 19 - SEPT 11, 2019

April Rose and Katie Ruiz obviously share a love for color and the title of the show reflects this, but they have quite different stories that they are communicating. 

Rose's rainbows and eyeballs are fun and upbeat and have a sort of hippy happy female vibe. You can imagine her in a yoga position sending out positive energy to the universe. 

Ruiz, on the other hand, it all about weaving color into her compositions much like threads in a native rug or blanket. She uses the symbols from native Americans to communicate the paths we take in life. Along the way she makes fetish objects that live as sculptures outside the work. But in her most successful compositions the two meet together as she actually makes tapestries that are fetish objects. Home illustrated above is original, vibrant and very covetable. 

This was my very first time in the brand new gallery space at SD Mesa College. It is a long rectangular space which has possibilities, which the very talented director Alessandra Moctezuma and her gallery students will I am sure discover as the space is used for more and more exhibitions. In this instance the eye was immediately drawn to the ceiling by a large strung yarn piece by April Rose. The ceiling is full of industrial  pipes, conducts and cables and quite distracting for this show which is itself so colorful that it bombards the senses. 

PARK IN LOT 1 IN FRONT OF THE STUDENT SERVICE BUILDING
AND THE NEW FINE ARTS BUILDING.
Gallery hours: M, T, W 11am - 4pm, Th 11am - 7pm.
By appointment on Fridays. Closed weekends and Holidays.

Katie Ruiz

Katie Ruiz

Katie Ruiz
Katie Ruiz

April Rose


April Rose

April Rose

April Rose