Memories & Metaphors
The artists in this section explore and interpret personal and historical memories, connecting East and West in a contemporary landscape.
Zan Wang
Inspired by the silk road, Zan Wang’s works deal with relics and ruins as she seeks a new path to connect east and west in a contemporary context. She uses maps and historical references to create spacial voids with overlapping of multiple spaces and times. In addition, she works with paper pulp, concrete, rice paper, ink, and oil as mixed media to interpret history with contemporary sensibility. Five of Wang’s works are on view here. In the work Incubator (2020), Wang used rice paper to represent earth and concrete to represent the world (new architectures) in order to create ruins as a transition between death and rebirth, tradition and contemporary, earth and world. In Relic III (2019) and Relic VI (2020) of Wang’s The gendering of space: From Ruin Aesthetics to Urban Narratives Series, she uses sensible forms of the relic to translate directly to the nervous system the same sensation as the subject.
Sookkyung Park
When I was around 10 years old, I enjoyed seeing the sunset just outside my house. The sunset was so beautiful that its beauty could not be described in a few words. That sense of memory and reflection still exists in my heart. Focusing on color, shape, similarity, difference, harmony and complexity is a good reference for guiding the true meaning of art. My works are a way of bringing beautiful memories to life challenges and hope by expressing it as color and shape.
Farhad Heidarian
With appreciation for contemporary art, Farhad Heidarian has followed New York Abstract Expressionism in particular. He seeks the surreal quality, revolutionary ideas, and expressive ecstatic of this school in his works. His intent is to create metaphors to the mystery of life and subconscious by creating spontaneous images. In his artistic experiments he attempts to invoke feelings with color and texture as an end to itself and beyond narrative. His work stems from a passion for traditional art evolved into modern abstract.
Sony Robles Florendo
Sony Florendo started her career in the art of painting at age 77. Starting as a "naif" painter, she drew inspiration from memory and scenes from her childhood. Now at age 83, she enjoys abstract painting and wants viewers to interpret her works as they see it. “I am grateful for the gift of art that came, touched and inspired me to be confident in creating paintings from my heart. I paint to be happy. Happiness helps me heal from the many health challenges I experience and face.”