SAN ANTONIO, TX.- Artpace San Antonio opens three new exhibitions featuring its Fall 2020 International Artists-in-Residence, Letitia Huckaby (Fort Worth, TX), Elana Mann (Los Angeles, CA), and Alisa Yang (New York, USA/Los Angeles, USA/Helsinki, Finland). Selected by curator Dr. Lauren Cross, the resident artists have spent the last several weeks living and creating new work in San Antonio. The exhibitions open virtually on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 4pm CST. Each exhibition responds to the uncertain socio-political climate in which the world has found itself amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in the United States amid continued calls for equality for black and indigenous lives and people of color.
Letitia Huckaby's exhibition, And Thy Neighb(our), derives inspiration from a passage in Luke 10:27 of the King James Bible: “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” Utilizing photography, embroidery, and vintage cotton bedsheets, Huckaby turns silhouettes of San Antonio's diverse immigrant community into reverent works of art. "I want to take individuals that society may not see as valuable and present them in a light equivalent to old master paintings...I want to create a sense of awe and reverence and for people to see the beauty of these individuals."
In the exhibition Year of Wonders, Elana Mann continues her series of protest instruments that began in 2019. Originating as a noise method to take the place of her soft-spoken voice during protests, these folk instruments morphed into a project about language and sound. Her clay rattles reflect the desire to find a way to be together and work together amidst major political shifts, massive social movements, and a worldwide pandemic. Adorned with images and calls to action like "[Say Her Name", "Stand Up", and phrases like "People Power," each ceramic rattle creates a different sound. The instruments create an opportunity for play and the chance to make music during a time when people feel isolated and subdued.
Alisa Yang’s exhibition, Wish You Were Here, centers around the importance of radical self-care. Yang has put together self-care packages (available to the public on a first come, first served basis and curbside pick-up is available), containing items that the artist has used during her own journey of connecting with and taking care of her body. The self-care package is also a form of mutual aid; it is the artist’s way of giving back to the community and regifting the time and resources she herself has been gifted during her residency to rest and make art. Accompanying the exhibition is a billboard reading “Jesus was a brown child seeking asylum,” which will be on view in December in Dilley, Texas near one of the biggest family detention centers in the United States. The billboard, like the self-care packages, poses the question: how do we make care intersectional? Whether it’s physical care, mental care, or care for families being detained and separated on a daily basis.
The exhibitions will be available online after the exhibition through Artpace’s new 3D Matterport technology, which allows audiences to virtually walkthrough exhibitions from their computer or mobile device. Opening night will include a tour of the exhibitions from the resident artists.
