SYMBIOTIC DIALOGUES
/Symbiotic Dialogues: Exploring the Confluence of Nature and Fabrication
February 16 – April 19, 2024
Founders Gallery @ Mason Square
Curated by Sophie Bae
About the Exhibition
Symbiotic Dialogues: Exploring the Confluence of Nature and Fabrication for Harmony in Creation brings together five artists—Johab Silva, Bahar Yürükoğlu, David Ignacio, Marisa Stratton, and Kate Fleming—who offer diverse perspectives, challenging conventions and inviting viewers to engage with the intricacies of environmental, digital, and human experiences. In collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, this exhibition not only pays homage to the rich tapestry of DMV local artists but also underscores artistic vitality, providing a profound examination of nature, identity, and modernity in our continually evolving world.
In this exhibition, Johab Silva intricately weaves environmental concerns with the digital realm, examining the duality of urban development and decay along with colonial atrocities in the Amazon Rainforest. Bahar Yürükoğlu challenges boundaries through her manipulation of light and space. David Ignacio constructs a visual narrative depicting identity and displacement. Marisa Stratton explores the digital experience through phone screen-sized oil paintings, while Kate Fleming captures the American landscape with over 200 paintings, offering a visual journey of the everyday in America.
About the Resident Artist Program
MoCA Arlington’s resident artist program provides subsidized studio space in a supportive environment that encourages interaction, dialogue, and exploration. Residents become part of a creative community that enables them to exchange ideas, engage in meaningful conversation, and expand their practice. Residents contribute four hours each month to assist with MoCA Arlington’s operations, and engage with the community by periodically opening their studios to the public.
https://mocaarlington.org/
Installation Views
About the Artist
Johab Silva: A Tropical Tale Carved by Sharp Edges
Johab Silva's exhibition skillfully navigates the intricate interplay of environmental concerns and the digital realm. Employing NFTs, VR, generative media, and performance art, Silva scrutinizes the impact of urban development and colonial atrocities in the Amazon Rainforest. In A Tropical Tale Carved by Sharp Edges, Silva delves into the profound repercussions of urban development in lush regions, emphasizing the intricate and multifaceted colonial atrocities within the Amazon Rainforest. Entangomento Tropical: Variação No7 and No1 further explores the nuanced relationship between nature and urban structures, questioning the consequences of humanity's pursuit of dominance over the environment.
https://www.johabsilva.com/
Bahar Yürükoğlu: Illuminating Boundaries
Washington, D.C.-based interdisciplinary artist Bahar Yürükoğlu challenges boundaries through photography, installation, sculpture, and film, exploring the intricate interplay of light and space. "Neoscapes" constructs still lifes and installations using plexiglas, creating new spaces that blur the lines between the human-made and the natural world. Yürükoğlu prompts viewers to question the relationships between the natural and artificial, delving into the intricate interplay of light and space.
David Ignacio: Collages of Identity and Displacement
Originally from the Philippines and now residing in the United States, David Ignacio utilizes painting, collage, and sculpture to construct a compelling narrative of image-making and storytelling. His work delves into the profound complexities of the immigrant experience, perceptions of home, and displacement, expressed through the incorporation of found materials and unconventional surfaces—a visual narrative mirroring the intricate layers of identity.
@davidignco
Marisa Stratton: Contemporary Portraiture in the Digital Age
Marisa Stratton explores the collective digital experience through screen-sized oil paintings, transposing online interactions into physical portraiture. Her work serves as an exploration of public presentation, image consumption, and consent, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between traditional oil painting and the digital age.
marisastratton.com
@marisareads
Kate Fleming: Capturing the American Landscape
Oil painter, printmaker, and documentarian Kate Fleming captures the American landscape with over 200 paintings, providing a visual exploration of America's sprawling national aesthetic. Her en plein air paintings offer a unique glimpse into the in-between spaces and mundane objects that shape our visual experience of the world, creating a time capsule of the nation's vast, complex, and divided visual unity.
Driven by the question, "What does my world truly resemble?" Fleming delves into the transient nature of our surroundings. Her focus is not on the enduring features like the Grand Canyon, which remains unchanged over decades, but rather on the fleeting aspects of daily life—McDonald’s drive-throughs and Walmart parking lots. The culmination of her artistic endeavors results in a time capsule comprising over 200 paintings, conveniently housed within 8x8” wooden boxes. Despite covering more than 46,000 miles to paint in every state, the uniformity of the artworks conveys a cohesive narrative of America's sprawling national aesthetic, encapsulating the charm inherent in big box stores, parking lots, and gas stations. Each painting, born on the road, harmoniously contributes to the portrayal of overlooked beauty within the commonplace, offering a collective snapshot of shared moments across the diverse American landscape.
