Exhibition

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Road to Santiago

Anna Varona, Jonathan Ching

August 17 - September 11, 2010

Gallery 1

Artists Jonathan Ching and Anna Varona go on a visual journey together in Road to Santiago. The exhibit is on view at West Gallery beginning August 17 through September 11. Notes Varona, “We arrived at the concept of the show spontaneously. We were talking about visuals that interested us, and we found a common thread: buses, trucks, shoes, legs, things that have been abandoned or forgotten…” The decision to collaborate on a show came easily: “It was a good idea because we both were at a crossroads in our lives: Jonathan with his career as an artist, and I being torn between being a representative of women’s advocates in the province.” Ching, who brought up the idea to join artistic forces in Road to Santiago, thinks his and Anna’s works will jive as they go through personal journeys as artists and individuals. Varona’s “Lunchbox Houses” feature a 12-piece installation made from stainless steel, crocheted characters, and found objects. “As a mother, I find myself judging the kids’ parents based on what is inside their lunchboxes, essentially bringing with them the personality of their home. Varona demonstrates this through the cubby holes in each lunchbox, depicting scenes in the household. Meanwhile, Ching draws inspiration from photographer Abelardo Morell, who became famous for creating camera obscura images. He uses various objects, including an iron-casted figure of King Kong, galleons, and scooters to depict the idea of a journey, both via physical and introspective means. Both artists like working with objects, sticking them on paintings, putting them together on sculptures, and continuously experimenting to reveal the different characters of such materials. Ching adds that they both tend to work within a loose structure in which they both hope would yield multiple layers of meaning to their works. That is why they are not discounting the possibility of working together anew in the future.