The title, Trying, comes from my Artist Statement (since 2010), that in turn comes from my text for Faceless Portrait, 2007.
The exhibition is about the continuation of a variety of struggles in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles; it consists of my text (written mostly in spring of 2019) and recycling prints into objects and having them be containers for handmade nature (as we are destroying our environment). I made these prints when I was Artist in Residence in the office of Ross Barkan's campaign for state senator - that subsequently turned into a short-lived community space, Solidarity Space, 2018-2019 (see Political Office, 2018-2019).
I dispersed my text throughout the gallery space - from two large scrolls to one sentence on a pencil: "We spend our days repairing, under the indifferent sun."
"KILL PAIN" is the only text in exhibition that is not my own; I saw it on the window of the El in Chicago, going to a friend's memorial service in January, 2017. It reminded me of Buddhist cognitive instructions: starting off with premise of pain and then integrating skills/actions to combat suffering.
The print I made as Artist in Residence (AIR) for the campaign office and subsequently recycled into containers for Trying. I made a list of all my actions as AIR to share with other artists, in order to promote the idea of collaborations between artists and people running for office.
I chose domesticity as a title for this wall, as I was making some of this work during a pandemic, Covid-19, and quarantine - which meant many were figuring out their relationship to domesticity, whether feeling claustrophobic, comfort or simply gratitude for having a roof over one's head. Personally, the situation suited me, as I was in need of focus and catching up with years of being busy outside.
My instagram image depicts the curtain of the Arnold family, Nyack, who were instrumental in saving the Edward Hopper House; along with other neighbors, they prevented the house from being demolished and turned into a public parking lot (see my work for At Home at Hopper('s) House).
Public Zoom opening with gallerist Jeannine Bardo and curator Valeria Federici (participating from Rome), during pandemic, anti-racist demonstrations and curfew - moderated by Turnstile Tours and live support by Isabelle Garbani and Elena Soterakis.
In addition to making work for the gallery, I also organized a collaboration for the gallery garden with SAFE (assistance to people who are asylum seekers due to gender identity and sexual orientation). SAFE asked its community of asylum seekers and asylees to respond with an image to following question: "What does Pride mean to you?" I had access to these images (19 total), as well as the text that accompanied some of the submissions, and my role then consisted in converting the files into black & white, enlarge, print, hand color one part of image, make waterproof and install in the Stand4 Gallery Garden.