Art Speaks: CONTINUUM – Body & Place
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 • 12 – 1:30 pm CT • FREE • via Zoom
Participating Artists: Alonzo Pantoja, Dong Kyu Kim, SHENEQUA, Nicole Thomas, and Ivonne Yáñez (moderator)
Body & Place is a panel discussion that addresses the works of a number of artists in CONTINUUM, an exhibition held April 19 – July 9, 2022 at Textile Center. Artists Alonzo Pantoja, Dong Kyu Kim, SHENEQUA, and Nicole Thomas present their work in the context of a conversation about Body and Place, a theme evident throughout the exhibition.
In talking to the artists, moderator Ivonne Yáñez noted, “One’s place of origin was consistently an inspiration for the making of work in CONTINUUM. Placement of the body somehow, as an active dynamic of the work–in the making, as portraiture, or materially–is important in the metaphysical content in all of their work. Knowledge of other practices also informs the relationship of body to the work, mentally, physically, and spiritually.”
With a focus on using weaving and installation, Pantoja investigates space in the simplest form – navigation and adaption – by addressing queerness (an open land of possibility), orientation (ways of seeing), and impermanence. Kim’s stitched constructions of found materials, such as paper receipts, tickets, and documents record his various activities at particular places and times to explore his relationship to the U.S. and the concepts of the American dream, capitalism, and consumerism. SHENEQUA combines traditional Ghanaian and floor loom weaving with Black and African hair styling to create conversation on labor, identity, diaspora, sisterhood, sacred space, and grief in work that addresses the condition of being a Black woman in America. Rounding out the panelists to address collective networks of support that emerged during the 2020 uprisings in Minnesota, Thomas uses tapestry and mixed materials to relate community coming together while reflecting the structures that created borders and barriers to withhold space and enforce security during this time.
Join us for a personal foray into the studio practices of each of these artists, as they present their work and engage in with Q&A from the audience, and share how identity — and their studio work — is informed by Body and Place.
Learn more about the artists and view their work in the virtual exhibition here
About CONTINUUM:
This special spring and summer exhibition showcases rising talent from across the country, and continues our commitment to outstanding, contemporary work being done by artists in support of underrepresented communities in the field of fiber art.
The range of work and practices, unique to each artist, addresses myriad ways that textile materials, processes, histories, and traditions continue to be used today to tell stories and share narratives about identities–both individual and community – through the eyes and hands of makers.
