CURATOR STATEMENT

Self-Reflection/Rehash: Practicing Uncertainty explores expressions of identity in the context of being born in America. Through a range of art forms, the exhibition encourages viewers to engage with multifaceted issues. The artworks reflect the experiences and perspectives of artists from diverse backgrounds with a particular focus on those who have struggled with questions of identity and belonging in America. By presenting a range of perspectives and experiences, this exhibition aims to foster meaningful dialogue and reflection.

Jake Alfieri’s art is a direct expression of his journey as a transgender artist struggling to come to terms with his identity and place in the world. His work explores the complex interplay between race, gender, and identity using plaster cast sculpture to express his innermost thoughts and emotions. With a direct and unflinching dialogue, Alfieri’s sculptures are a powerful testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit. Through his art, he challenges our preconceptions about gender identity, encouraging us to confront the uncomfortable realities of our own lives and experiences.

Kate Bae’s experience as a victim of Asian hate and domestic violence deeply informs her work, driving her to use various elements to counteract the negative dialogue that has plagued her life. This installation is not only an exploration of her artistic practice, but a deeply personal reflection of her journey. In her practice, she focuses on the medium and language of painting to create dialogues about multiple identities. The process of casting, pouring paint, and peeling, changes the identity of a painting into something else. Not quite sculpture but not quite painting. This parallels her experience as an immigrant and not fully being Korean nor American.

In Jeanne Brasile’s library card pieces, she tries to redress the harm experienced by any hyphenated American whose history and identity are inaccessible due to policies and societal pressures. Library card catalogs were meant to present information in a seemingly neutral taxonomical system. However, the words encoded on the materials reveal significant ethnocentrism, classism, colonialism, sexism, and racism – among other transgressions. Words convey identity and a sense of self, and they are equally capable of influencing opinions, affinities, and notions of importance and non-importance. Ideas pervade language, eventually influencing thoughts and actions. She wishes to draw attention to how information from seemingly trusted sources can grant agency to some while stealing it from others.

Mike Childs’ abstract paintings channel his feelings and identities in a way that conveys the depth of his being through dynamic visual forms. Through his art, Childs captures the myriad fluctuations of his life, exploring the nuances of his identity and seeking a deeper understanding of his true self. His approach serves as a powerful dialogue between himself and the world, allowing him to communicate on a deeply personal and intimate level. Childs offers a rare glimpse into the intricate complexity of his journey to selfdiscovery.

Rosemarie Fiore’s glass smoke domes stand as a powerful embodiment of her artistic vision and original technique, which she has honed through years of experience. Through innovative use of spirographic tools and smoke fireworks, Fiore captures fleeting moments and emotions, transforming them into tangible works. Her creations serve as a documentation of the essence of life, infused with her perspective and creative vision.

As a former environmental engineer from Taiwan, Ming-Jer Kuo understands the complexity of urban patterns and their reflection on the historical and geographical experiences of the community. Kuo creates a dialogue between the individual and their environment, using the site-specific installation as a medium to explore the relationship between identity and space. His perspective on these patterns engages in a deeper exploration of his relationship with the environment around him. Mass Production of Living Style: Bronx is an interactive site-specific installation that invites viewers to participate actively in the exhibition.

LuLu Meng’s thought-provoking mirror installation invites viewers to explore the complex relationship between the individual and the community. As the lights come on, viewers will be drawn into the mesmerizing domes where their reflection materializes, creating a powerful and deeply personal dialogue between the viewer and the work itself. Through this installation, Meng offers a unique perspective on the interplay between identity, community, and empathy, drawing on their own experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, former chemical engineer, and costume designer.

As a descendant of Russian Ashkenazi Jews from Ukraine, Kelly Olshan’s work is rooted in her personal history and cultural heritage. Through the use of impossible pathways, false destinations, and distant horizons that never arrive, she creates a self-reflexive world that serves as an art form for her own identity through a mixed media installation and 3D pieces. Her works serve as a reflection of her experiences and offer an opportunity for viewers to join her on a journey of exploration and discovery. In her staircase panel, she creates a disjointed yet interconnected narrative that is both thoughtprovoking and emotionally resonant.

Curator Bio

Sophia Chizuco is a multidisciplinary artist, art educator, and curator from Japan and based in Brooklyn. She received her B.A. in Art and Education from Tokyo Gakugei University and moved to New York in 2000 to study abstract paintings at the Art Students League of New York, where she earned a certificate in painting.

As an artist, Chizuco has been selected as a leader for various community art projects, including the Hospital-Based Community Murals Project at NYC Health + Hospitals’ Arts in Medicine program, project art and social practice in Cypress Hills Library, and SU-CASA Artist-in-Residence at Young Israel Senior Center. She has also conducted workshops at non-profit organizations such as the NARS Foundation, Lewis Latimer House Museum, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

She was a mentor for the Immigrant Artists Program at the New York Foundation for the Arts and has curated shows for immigrant artists. Her curatorial projects have been featured by various publications, including White Hot Magazine, World Journal, Yomitime, and Con Edison Newsletter.

Chizuco has received accolades from ArtNetwork and a merit scholarship from the Art Students League of New York. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Staten Island Museum, New York Hall of Science, ChaShaMa, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Affordable Art Fair, and Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

Public Programs

Opening Reception

, June , 2023 | :00 PM - :00 PM

Public Program

Wednesday, June 28, 2023 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Closing Reception

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos

450 Grand Concourse at 149th St., Room C-190

Bronx, New York 10451 (718) 518-6728 longwood@bronxarts.org

Longwood Arts Project

The Longwood Arts Project is the contemporary visual arts program of the Bronx Council on the Arts, with the mission to support artists and their work, especially emerging artists from underrepresented groups, such as people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and women. The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos presents solo and group exhibitions of works of art produced in various media, through interdisciplinary practices that connect emerging artists, communities, and ideas within and beyond The Bronx.

The Bronx Council on the Arts

Founded by visionary community leaders in 1962, The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is a pioneer in advancing cultural equity in The Bronx. From our early beginnings as a presenter of affordable arts programming in select Bronx neighborhoods, we have grown into a cultural hub that serves the entire creative ecosystem of the borough. Our programs serve artists, the public, and the field at large by building connections, providing resources, and advocating for equitable practices. Then as now, we focus on supporting the work of underrepresented groups – especially artists of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Through this lens we offer affordable programs for seniors and youth, and provide direct services to over 1,500 artists and 250 community-based arts groups each year.

www.bronxarts.org

The Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture

An integral part of Hostos Community College/CUNY since 1982, the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, which includes two state-of-the-art theaters of 900 and 360 seats each, a black box experimental theater, and a museum-grade art gallery, is a resource for students and faculty in addition to serving the cultural needs of South Bronx residents and neighboring communities. Recognized nationally as a leader in Latin and African-based programming, the Hostos Center creates performing and visual arts forums in which the diverse cultural heritages of its audiences are celebrated and cultivated. In meeting that objective, the Center is dedicated to the development of emerging artists and the creation of new work. www.hostoscenter.org

LONGWOOD ART GALLERY @ HOSTOS YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM

Longwood’s Youth Engagement Program, launched in 2018, is designed to engage Bronx youth with the rich visual arts scene that surrounds them. By providing gallery experiences they can relate to – and interactions with artists who reside in the same neighborhoods, share similar cultural identities, and even nations of origin – young people gain formative experiences of cultural engagement that last a lifetime.

Activities are free, age-appropriate, and created by professional teaching artists to foster critical thinking, interviewing and public speaking skills. If your organization, school, or group works with youth and would like to discuss scheduling a workshop or to arrange a visit, connect with us!