Galleries

Mirrored Migrations, guest curated by Sharbreon Plummer, opens at Corridor Gallery Sunday April 9^th from 3-6pm at 334 grand Ave, Brooklyn, NY. Mirrored Migrations confronts a conversation of the national and global influences of the South on contemporary Black Womanhood. Featured artists LaToya M. Hobbs (Arkansas), Lovie Olivia (Texas), Jessica Strahan (Louisiana) study their personal multifaceted journeys of womanhood and perspectives of the world while reflecting on the traditions, communities and magic that exists.

LaToya Hobbs examines the female figure to challenge past notions of identity concerning the black female body, deconstructs them, and resurrect an ideology grounded in positivity. The artist engages with the “models not as objects but as subjects with a voice.” A native of North Little Rock, AR Hobbs received her undergraduate degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Painting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and her MFA in printmaking from Purdue University. Currently she is also a Professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Lovie Olivia is an interdisciplinary artist whose process uses fresco, digital fresco, and sgrafitto creating a discourse around gender, sexuality, race, class, and power. Inspired by the beautiful, mythical, historical and ornamental concepts throughout human histories. These portraits of women are contemporary frescoes that blend autobiographical experiences with self-exploration and visual observations. She uses an ancient technique exploring contemporary subjects. She states” I am a maker, interested in the psychological distance between the viewer and the artwork eagerly paying homage to the makers before me; story makers, homemakers, hand makers, peacemakers, printmakers and art makers.” Lovie Olivia resides and works in Houston, Texas.

Jessica Strahan, a native of New Orleans is fueled by the vibrancy of Crescent City’s jazz scene, and the city’s colorful and tragic history. Her vibrant portraits reflect on a lifetime of “living here and living there.” Her subjects are inspired by her children, the people she’s met and the mental, emotional, and spiritual space she’s in while creating. “Drawing and painting have always brought me peace,” states Strahan.

Curator Sharbreon Plummer brings together these artists while meditating on the South as a vessel. “A womb filled with its comforts and complexities. The passage through which our ancestors fought and endured to protect their lives and legacies.” The work of these women artists reflects stories of survival and preservation often lost in the folds of history. Sharbreon Plummer is a New Orleans based artist and administrator whose research centers on Black Visual Culture. She currently serves as Program Associate for Community Engagement at the Joan Mitchell Center.

Mirrored Migrations, will be celebrated with an opening reception Sunday, April 9th from 4-6pm. There will also be a discussion with artists and the curator on Sunday May 21^st from 4-6pm. For further information about this exhibition, please contact charlotte@rushartsgallery.org or via phone 845-480-1258.