Verso/Reverso: Printmaking as Resistance and Reflection Art Show

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Verso/Reverso: Printmaking as Resistance and Reflection presents printmaking works by artists in the Southern California/Baja region. Some of the artists included follow the tradition of political graphics and deal with current topics such as Women’s Rights, migration and environmental issues. In their hands, art is transformed into a visual tool of activism and protest. Other artists explore the medium in a reflective way, playing with scale, layered color or by incorporating other materials such as embroidery thread, into the work.

Supported by Campana Studios, a non-profit that connects visual artists with the local communities, this exhibit celebrates the uniqueness of printmaking. The title of the exhibit references the process of creating a printout of a carved or etched block of wood or linoleum. This technique allows for multiple prints to be rendered from the original image which makes it both more accessible and perfect for reaching a wide audience. Some of the blocks used in the production of the prints will be shown side-by-side to demystify and reveal the magic of this process. The exhibition includes established artists who have perfected their craft over several decades and emerging students who have recently been exposed to the medium. Artists prints will be available for sale on the evening of the reception. We encourage you to wear your favorite artist-designed t-shirt to the reception.

Opening Reception

OCTOBER 14th 4:00-7:00pm

About the artists:

Abel Alejandre immigrated to LA from Michoacan as a child. He’s a self-trained printmaker who creates highly detailed works in the tradition of master wood engravers.

Daisy Camacho is a young artist, graphic designer and illustrator whose elegant designs include inspiration from nature and popular culture. She has taught workshops for Campana Studios.

With a background in illustration, Morgan Miller the 3rd employs satire in prints that comment on the current political situation.

Chris Lahti is an artist, master printmaker and teacher who works abstractly with shapes, colors and textures. The formal concerns in his art grapple with larger questions of our surroundings and place in the world.

Reflecting on his connection to nature and on the embroidery, tradition inherited from his family in Oaxaca, Kelvin Lopez multi-media compositions speak to his quest for belonging.

Los Angeles based Sonia Romero is known for her paper-cut and printmaking aesthetics, which she incorporates into both her fine art and public art commissions.

Chicana artist Katie Ruiz works in a variety of media and focuses on community engaged projects; she studied printmaking in Guadalajara and uses it as another form of activism.

Jose-Hugo Sanchez is originally from Tijuana and many of his large-scale prints deal with the experiences of migration and the transnational experience.

Originally from Germany, Derek Weiler depicts the male body to capture the essence of what it means to be human rendered in printmaking, animation and installation.

Rachel Droessler and Gaby Espina are printmaking students at San Diego Mesa College and have already created masterful works.