Indigenous Roots: Visual Interpretations of Personal Histories

“This exhibit was conceived in order to give gallery visitors a clearer understanding as to the ethnically diverse population of Southern California that continues to contribute to the local art scene.

The 8 foreign-born artists and 5 from the United States continue to work with their distinct backgrounds while merging into the art communities of Los Angeles.

The artists chosen come from heritages connected to Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Guyana, Japan, Indonesia, China, Senegal as well as distinct parts of the United States.. They bring to this project their traditional concepts, symbols, images and media that reflect the aesthetic and cultural history of their homelands. While some of the artists deal with the ancient ideas, some deal with the contemporary scene that stems from their interest in the society at large, particular those that have a connection to modern and contemporary history.

Some use the techniques and materials from their country of origin; Batik inks from Indonesia, burning designs into wood from Senegal and delicate organic textures from Japan while others work with the more western usage of acrylics, collage, assemblage and installation art.

I hope that you enjoy the exhibit as much as I did curating all this work from these excellent artists.” – Curator’s Statement

Artists: Armando Baeza, Patricia Boyd, Yrneh Brown, Lawrence Garcia, Raul Herrera, Andres Montoya, Ferril Nawir, Djibril N’Doye, CCH Pounder, Cindy Suriyani, Mark Vallen, Lamonte Westmoreland, Katsu Yokoyama

Curator: Raoul de la Sota

Opening Night Reception: Saturday, December 14, 2013 from 7-10 pm

Exhibit runs: December 14, 2013 through January 25, 2014

Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles