At Home in a Time of Quarantine
now on showcase at 106 S. Division Avenue
Welcome to Home in a time of Quarantine curated by photographer Ethan Ross and featuring artists Jeen Na, Leah Gose, Ashley Paige, Jenna Pewarchie and Fort Chrysalis created by artist Rachel McKay. All five artists explore the ideas of home as recorded over the last few months. Our digital tour of this exhibition features segments of the curator and artists statements, a selection of their artworks and video segments from each artist. You can view the exhibition in full from the sidewalk along our 106 South Division window gallery located at the corner of South Division and Oakes Street until November 20th.
Ethan Ross
Curator Statement
In these strange times, disconnection, isolation, and uncertainty can eat away at the relationships we have, not only with each other, but also the place we call Home. We have seen an unprecedented decrease in both commercial and industrial production, the economic impact of which will be felt for years while the environmental implications could show us a future with reduced climate impact. Our once bustling consumer and social spaces are now haunted by an absence of purpose. The silence of streets, shopping centers, office buildings, and recreational areas all point toward a world that forces us to reconsider the impact and necessity of our daily movements. Yet, while our external worlds contract, our internal worlds expand as we reach out for connection with others and we innovate new ways to maintain relationships and build new ones. Adapting to the new normal, if only temporarily, encourages us to reconsider our notion of intimacy within the context of social distancing and to develop a deeper understanding of the world around us and our role in shaping the world that comes next. Home is more than a physical space, it is also a mental space, an emotional connection, a memory, and a sense of belonging, ownership, and responsibility. We’re seeking works that explore these and other ideas about Home.
Artist Statement Excerpt
“I feel that many people are living in a state of limbo where they aren’t sure what is coming and they’re not quite sure how this even happened. In my work, I use fire as an element to represent limbo because it can simultaneously represent creation/destruction or purification/ corruption…In other images, smoke and liquids are used because they are elements that interact with or derive from fire – smoke is a signal and liquids will either feed or extinguish the fire.
Directly inspired by an article from the NYT called “The Slur I Never Expected to Hear in 2020” by Cathy Park Hong discussing the recent surge of racism against Asian-Americans due to the coronavirus, I created an image inspired by passages from her text along with my personal experiences with a silent kind of racism. One that makes you feel dirty like you’re covered in slime and all you want to do is melt away with it as it slides down your face or wash it off in the shower, but you can’t because you can’t show that it’s getting to you. To quote Hong, “racism never disappears but adapts to new circumstances when old strains rise from the dark vaults of American history.”
Artist Statement Excerpt
“Homesickness explores a sense of place, home and one’s connection to a particular environment. Humans have an instinctive need for love, protection and security; feelings and qualities usually associated with home…The viewer attempts to piece the parts together in order to recreate the larger whole and is left with a tenuous balance of attraction in looking at the images and personal anxiety in attempting to visually reconstruct the places. During this time of quarantine, we find ourselves longing for friends, family and the familiar. The locations are familiar but distant, similar to memories that trigger homesickness.”
Ashley Paige
Artist Statement Excerpt
“The passage of time, the moments in between, and the moments that feel like they stand still…Moments of celebration, like birthdays and anniversaries are spent alone or creatively apart from our loved ones…In this time, pushing ourselves to seek and communicate with others and find joy is all we can do, counting down the clouds and sunsets until we can maybe stand hand in hand again.”
Jenna Pewarchie
Artist Statement Excerpt
“I am capturing the vulnerability of those who are dealing with self-isolation and how this is comparable to the journey of grief in its many diverse forms. Focusing on a sense of loss, dysfunction and coping I am paying attention to the quiet and still moments that are otherwise kept hidden within these private corners of our life.”
Fort Chrysalis Project
(Rachel McKay)
Artist Statement Excerpt
“Fort Chrysalis is an ongoing interactive web-based project created by Rachel McKay. The project centers around weekly creative assignments designed to invite a reimagining of the ordinary…Fort Chrysalis is a place to reach out and connect with others through undertaking creative prompts that invite you to see your space in new ways. It’s an invitation to let yourself do something just for the sake of enjoying it- to reconnect with yourself, the physical space you inhabit.”
Thanks, Ethan. I enjoyed hearing from the artists. Hope all is well with you.