The Magic of Memory: Reimagining Resilience in Diasporic Puerto Rican Art
”Tenderly placed in a corner of Unaccustomed Earth is a warm and welcoming assortment of items recognizable to many Caribbean Latin Americans: a wicker bowl of tropically colored decorative fruits, a hand-carved wooden mortar and pestle, and a sharp yellow package of Café Bustelo. I recognized these tributes to the exhibition from a studio visit with one of the show’s two featured artists, Emily Rose, in East Boston. I was welcomed into her at-home studio with cafecito and the delicious smells of her sister cooking a celebratory meal for a family gathering later that evening. While that corner of Puerto Rican home goods was not labeled as an art object in her studio or in the gallery, its function as a conduit for feelings of home grounded me in the magic of memory that swirled around Unaccustomed Earth.” — Jasper A. Sanchez
What was possible to say
”Julia Csekö’s work reminds us of what it means to approach the visual arts as a form of education and social engagement. As a multidisciplinary artist, her practice embraces painting, sculpture, video performance, installation, and most recently, printmaking to comment on social, cultural, and political issues. The serial nature of her artistry allows for exploration and progression. Her Brazilian-American identity informs how she understands symbols of national pride in both countries. For example, words, flags, ribbons, kitchen utensils, food, and heart representations, recur in her work.” — Michaela Blanc
Meet the artist: Rosa Leff
Hand-cut paper serves as the medium for Rosa Leff’s blend of traditional artistry and the modern as she creates scenic and city landscapes, portraits, and even still lifes.
Meet the Artist: Diana Weymar & The Tiny Pricks Project
Tiny Pricks began as Weymar’s personal project, without any inkling of the prominence it would gain within less than a year. In January of 2018, she decided to channel her frustration with Trump’s conduct into embroidery, stitching “I am a very stable genius” onto a piece of fabric that belonged to her grandmother. This practice soon became more frequent, and Weymar’s creations quickly began to circulate on social media, inspiring others to pitch in with their own.
Meet the Artist: Ibrahim Ali-Salaam
From the outset of known visual art, humanity has been captivated by the task of representing the body. Though this instinct has been subverted in the last century as art has moved further and further into the realm of the abstract and conceptual, many artists continue to draw on the human form for inspiration. Few contemporary artists, however, have made the figure as focal as Ibrahim Ali-Salaam.
