Body is a Home:
A solo exhibition at El Callejon Gallery, in Downtown Pomona, CA, held on Aug 10, 2024. Miss the show? Buy merch on my online store
Above: The illustrated promotional flyer, as seen on Instagram
Body is a... what?
To feel at home in your own body; The idea behind this exhibition stems from a constant search for comfort, coziness, and familiarity in oneself. An almost abstracted concept, but so very tangible at the same time. What do we do in a home? Decorate, invite, dance, play, nourish, share... the list goes on. Similarly can be said to describe how we perceive ourselves, on an individual level. We choose what to wear, how to present ourselves. What to say, who to talk to, what interests to follow, and so on. But in the creation of this show, I invited guests and myself to ask:
Who are you to yourself?
Does it feel like home?
Sketch and final versions of the "body is a home" poster/print, sold at the show and online
The Event
Not just an exhibition, a show. Throughout the event, I had my table and printmaking setup by the entrance, inviting guests to choose from an array of stamps to freshly print with in either black or white ink, on a selection of papers and fabric scraps
A main part of the reason for doing this was to get more interactions from visitors, but it was also to make my art as accessible as I could for people who were just hearing of the show that same day. It gives folks something to take home, to talk about, another reason to visit the little gallery between 2nd and 3rd.
About a month prior, and not thinking much of it, I announced that guests may bring a blank printable surface for me to lay some ink on. To my surprise, a number of people showed up with cloth in varying forms, and print I did !!
Above: slideshow of my printing setup, pre-printed shirts, and gallery walls
In addition to offering fresh custom prints, I printed 40+ t-shirts in the weeks prior to the event. A set of designs were drawn, carved, and printed, including my largest linoleum piece at the time, "Crunchy Hands" featuring a stylized self portrait referencing the painting, "In a Box".
On the Walls
