Criti que
by Emily Jeeone Han
This page offers in-depth critiques of both current and past exhibitions. The insightful text is penned by Emily Jeeone Han, a promising young writer who recently earned her BA in Psychology with a focus on studio art. Her expertise and fresh perspective are invaluable contributions to Raud Fine Art Gallery
“Colombia Unbound: A Tapestry of Form” 10.11 - 11.01
at Raud Fine Art Gallery, Chicago10/11/24
Colombia Unbound: A Tapestry of Form showcased at the Raud Fine Art Gallery is an exhibition with three Colombian artists whose work is presented in dialogue with identity, culture, and diaspora, celebrating diverse expressions and perspectives of Colombian history. Through paintings, drawings and mosaics, the exhibition is ornamented with diasporic memories and community, each work revealing a fragment of Colombian spirit.
By the entrance, Gauli Mora’s mosaic pieces line the walls, integrating tradition and modernity on glass skateboard decks. In the colonial period, mosaic art was primarily introduced through church decoration and religious art, and continued into modern revival as it became a form of public and urban expression. Highlighting both the past and present, the striking faces sculpted onto Gauli’s decks showcase the resilience and transformation that strengthen the cycle of life.
Softer notes of the exhibition emerge in Camilo Carreño Gonzalez’s graphite drawings, collecting memories of disorienting identity as an immigrant artist. Portraits decorated with raw texts and coffee ring stains float through the walls, with the distinct yet hazy renderings inviting alluring intimacy. The subtle distortion and the delicacy of the paper forge a collection of reminiscent personal narratives sprinkled across the gallery, creating a cohesive yet dispersed experience for the viewer.
In Diego Peñuela’s color palette, vibrance and saturation fills dreamscapes exploring his connection to Colombia and its culture. His paintings with ambiguous characters embodying natural elements such as water and fire, circle the nuanced experiences of assimilation and preservation into Western culture. Balancing elements of nature and identity, these dreamscapes aid a natural blend of tension and encouragement for mindfulness of daily life.
Through these artists' works, the exhibition transformed spaces to build a powerful community around personal memories. As immigrants, they channel their own personal memories in hopes they will resonate with one another, starting as a quietly therapeutic experience that grows into a vibrant community. Colombia Unbound bridges one story at a time, each piece adding dimension to the ever changing experience of cultural identity.
on Steve Banaszek
Soul Searching
Solo exhibition July - September 2024 @RFA Gallery
With contemporary abstraction’s politically nuanced nature, this visual language has become…a mystical entity. It seems that once you “get it,” this creative bilinguality transcends into an honorary gateway to artist regality.
acrylic on canvas
54x54 inch
2000$
But you don’t need an elderly trained eye to look at art. As we mature, our brains safely rehearse that representation and resemblance are pillars to reliability. You see an apple. It’s red, round, shiny, with a hard shell. You know the taste before you even bite into it, and that crunch is so familiar it’s practically one of those complimentary iOS ringtones. But what if…you bite into it…and it’s….fluffy? Freaky, right?
Banaszek’s Red challenges you to understand something that is different. Beginning with thinned, chaotic scribbles, the medium crescendos toward the center, striking a finale with a sweep of yellows, reds, and blacks. The aesthetic creates an unconventional viewing experience.
acrylic and spray paint on canvas
50X50 inch
1800$
Graffiti ink, acrylic on canvas.
50x50 in
1800$
Notes of turquoise travel across canvases, developing their own identity in different realms. Donating a foundation in Color & Composition no.6, hinting in F.A.A.F.O, and persevering its way to the foreground in Color & Composition Study no.2, turquoise is a teasing character that sets a balance between momentary play and grit.
acryclic, spray paint on canvas
50x50
No.14 strips away conscious knowledge through a transitory yellow that skids through a mysterious-looking depth. These darker hues of turquoise and blacks swells an instinct for curiosity that leads to discovering what lies beyond the obvious. The dynamic of fostering curiosity and anxiety in questioning how to approach the art mediates meaningful experience.
acrylic on canvas
84x54 in
From sensing the momentum of streaks, the weights of acrylics, the glossy reflection or drywall esque elements that invite layers, I invite you to envision yourself in the artistic process of creating.
Through differentiation and determination, we channel insights, hunches, and intuitions in “Soul Searching”. We swing open the secret doors to our psyche and perhaps, bite into a fluffy apple <3.