The Artists of MYTH AMERICA(NA) DECONSTRUCTING AMERICA(NA) CULTURE AND IMAGERY
Myth America(NA), Deconstructing Americana Culture and Imagery
A contemporary fine art group exhibition by curator Rolando Chang Barrero
The Box Gallery
811 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405
Myth America(NA), Deconstructing Americana Culture and Imagery a contemporary fine art group exhibition by curator Rolando Chang Barrero.
This exhibition explores aspects of real and imagined popular culture in
The United States of America between 2016-2022.
Reception: November 5th, 2022 7 PM
Exhibition Dates: October 29 though November 26, 2022
Details : www.TheBoxGallery.Info
Zbigniew “Zee” Kijak is an American artist, born in Poland, who currently lives in south Florida. He moved to Chicago, IL in 1978 where he lived until his move to Florida. His other art includes photography, digital photography, and acrylic painting. His work has been displayed at “Art at the Airport” at Palm Beach International Airport, Art Continuum-West Palm Beach and the “Art Boca Raton” International Art Show.
I use dollar bills as my medium to create currency collages because of money’s power to be a beneficial or harmful resource.
Money, very much like water, is a necessity and can serve in amazing ways. Both can be very destructive or empowering. For example, we all need water to survive, but we see the destructive forces of water in floods. In my first currency collage I used the medium to capture Governor Blagojevich who represents a dark side of the corrupt use of money for political purposes. Also, money inspires us to create and build a better lifestyle. I use the paper dollar as my medium to create portraits of known personalities who exhibit this resource.
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Carlos Joao Alvarez-Guerra Gonzalez is a Cuban visual artist whose surrealistic works examine, not just the subconscious, but the social conscious.
Americans live and function in a world of contradictions.
We create myths of success and social progress where realism and pragmatism are needed most. The uniquely American quest to acquire “The American Dream” is an illusion that drives and divides Americans in their pursuit of an allusive “Happiness”, which is difficult to achieve for individuals in this land that values Freedom above all other values. We speak of the ideals of Individual Freedom to dress up our selfish ambitions to win at the expense of “Others”. This working philosophy is rooted in an Individualism that rejects conforming to Community, rejects sharing resources, and seeks to benefit only the Self. Naturally, Community is where stability can be found, and with stability comes that happiness (or contentment). Is this type of Sharing possible in modern America? Was it ever part of our culture to Share Our Resources as if we were United? Will the next generation alter the priorities and embrace new values for what it means to be an American? Perhaps we need a new set of Myths for the next century.
MYTH: Women are first class citizens in the USA
Is a woman a person? How many women will now become criminals because they found a way to have an abortion? How many women will have the means to clandestinely terminate their pregnancy?
Is a woman’s body her own? Is she only meant as a breeder? Are women to be punished because they want sovereignty over their own state of being?
Women have lost the right to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies and reproductive functions.
As a woman of Jewish faith, abortion is allowed under certain circumstances, though now the courts will not make allowances. On a personal note, I became pregnant even though I was using birth control. Unmarried, but in a relationship, which later became a marriage, the father and I together decided it was best not to become parents. I can’t imagine being the mother of a 50-year-old child. Because of the early stigma of unwed mothers, I never shared this with my family.
Friends became my emotional lifeline during this difficult time.
If Roe v Wade was about babies as politicians claim, “they would be fighting for more child benefits, not less. If it was about saving lives, they would be supporting universal health care, not trying to get rid of it and they would never back a policy that would lead to a 21 percent increase in maternal mortality.”—Liz Plank
The Coathanger
Sam Breach (she/her), a British-American Photographic Artist who explores emotion and narrative through portraiture.
I am an artist, attorney and social critic. Inspiration for my artwork tends to come from the news of the day, the ghosts of sexism and racism that continue to haunt us or from my countless court cases involving a
segment of society and a legal system that are at the breaking point.
While these topics may be difficult and even divisive, my work is not intended to provoke or antagonize, but to inspire others to confront their own acceptance or passivity that comes from overexposure to today’s social and political tensions and issues that are often uncomfortable to think about.
In the language of photography there is a wide angle view and a close up macro view to seeing the world. I believe it is the same for the life and work of all artists. The close up macro view speaks to the drive to work every day to improve in their craft and expand the tools they have to interact with the world. After 35 years as a photographer I reached a certain level of expertise. Still I am constantly working to find new ways to tell stories. This has led explorations in various other media including film, audio, podcasting painting and digital art. We are all both students and masters at the same time.
"RED, WHITE, AND BUSINESS" explores the role of patriotism in American economic life.
From “Mom and Pop” businesses to major international corporations, the appropriation of red, white and blue, the symbolism of stars and stripes, and the words that symbolize the idealized / mythological greatness of the United States of America jump out at us from roadways and street signs nationwide.
Whether they exist as a matter of deeply held beliefs, or of calculated plan, is generally unknown and unknowable. Some have been part of our collective national subconscious for many decades, even centuries, modified to reflect current design and branding trends. Some, perhaps, are a reflection of post 9/11 feelings, and of personal experiences and reactions to the two subsequent wars. Some may be a reflection of a wish to identify as Americans in a country expressing great ambivalence about the role of immigrants, and yet made up of immigrants from every corner of the globe. Some may hope to convey a sense of national pride or identity in products and resources, whether "made in the USA" or brought to our shores from around the world.
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Proverbs 16:18 NIV- Pride goes before Destruction, and Haughtiness before a fall.
I would describe my work as being inspired by the historical significance of the landscape and the universality of the human condition in relation to environment. I am driven by my curiosity and inquisitive eagerness to investigate and chronicle narratives that involve the presence of animals for role play while incorporating architectural facades and construction elements.
These narratives can draw attention to many different topics, that can be interpreted in any way the viewer connects or might feel detached from the work. I want to evoke emotion and awareness of the individual to confront the issue of how art functions within a particular set of social and cultural patterns, historical perspectives, and belief/faith systems, while maintaining a sense of humor and humility.
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“Stimulating Thoughts, Interpretations, and Responses” is a series of paintings, still in progress, of thoughts and concerns
that have been “stewing and brewing” in my subconscious awaiting to be “born” in a tangible, visual manner.
The images reflect my concern for people, unfair situations, other disturbing misdeeds and misinterpretations, LIES, and various religiously-inspired
bullshit and brain washing.
I sincerely hope that you will find my new paintings thoughtful, meaningful, and perhaps strike a chord with ideas and thoughts that you may have already held.
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My artwork is premised on the historic writing system of Gregg Shorthand developed by John Robert Gregg in the late 1800s, the most popular form of pen stenography in the US. It distills the phonetics of spoken words into a series of pen strokes that I used throughout my legal career. I am the only artist who uses learned shorthand as an art form.
I begin with the text: the U.S. Constitution, poetry, speeches, and essays to name a few.
I choose the medium and colors that best represent the text, and I transcribe to shorthand (paint) the text with brushstrokes or my own painting implements. When finished, you will see a narrative abstraction, a balanced composition that is as specific, yet organic, as a zen garden. And like a zen garden, you can relax into the pleasing and stimulating colors and appreciate the underlying thoughtfulness of each and every little line and object. My work touches on
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I feel blessed to have been given the gift of creativity and so I spend my days pouring over the process.
My work presents a unique set of challenges both personally and professionally, which has given me the opportunity to grow and explore. I create my art to stir up a visceral reaction in myself and the viewer, followed by moments of introspection and hopefully discussion.
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Sometimes I need to paint an image that reflects
my reactions to events that I need to process.
And sometimes it is a person, or place that speaks strongly to me, and I need to capture in paint the feelings evoked.
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My art is about exploration, to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical reality, allowing my intuition and process to take the lead. I seek to build something from nothing using the current environment as my intuition to express what is within myself. I seek to build something from nothing, and in the process symbols and images reveal themselves. I construct and deconstruct until I unravel an abstract "portrait of the moment." I paint, build, and layer, letting the painting happen while I follow it. With this approach, I hope to give the work a presence that will grip rather than release the viewer after only a glance. Thus, my paintings should catch the viewer in a web of revealing imagery and emotion, leaving each with his or her own idea of what they have seen, felt, and thought.
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Reparations to the descendants of the enslaved is long overdue. The Native Americans have received reparations for lands lost. Japanese Americans placed in internment camps during WWII received reparations. Slave owners who were loyal to the union received immediate compensation for their freed slaves after emancipation, up to $300 per freed slave. And yet those freed from slavery often left to start a new life with just the clothes on their backs.
When will we be paid for the work that was done?
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My work is an expression of emotion and state of mind. It is a record of events and people, both imagined and real. It can be allegorical, or simply straight-forward. It is the female experience, excerpts from my own life or based on my limited knowledge of other women known and unknown to me. It is light, it is dark; a study of life, the contemplation of death and the transitory state of everything that lies in between. I hope, at the end of it all, my work conveys strength, has the element of hope and peace. That it transcends differences and connects (with at least a few), on that commonality and
journey we all share, that is this very real human experience.
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I am Renata Rodrigues and I am a visual artist. I graduated in Graphic Arts in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I lived until 21 years young, working in the field since I was 15.
I have lived as an artist and art educator in the USA for the last 6 years, have shown my art in many local galleries, exhibits and events and also taught art at South Florida schools as an arts integration teaching artist and privately from my studio.
My art emerges from my love for the natural world and interest in human emotions. I love depicting facial expressions and bringing emotion and movement to my pieces. I feel like each artwork I make is a unique bundle of thoughts, feelings and medium experimentation. Working on small or large scale, public or commission works, I enjoy each creation process and I always give 110% of devotion to the project at hand.
The SHELLHEADS series is a revisited concept from a piece I sold 6 years ago. It’s a fun mix of colors, beautiful anatomy, Floridian lifestyle and societal taboos. Men in heels, a bit less of a taboo now, they stand strong and proud, but women still can’t show their nipples, they stand shy, covering their breasts.
I wanted them to not be recognizable or look like anyone someone might know, hence the seashells for heads. Seashell art is something that has been part of my art for the last 7 years.
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MAKE AMERICA BIG AGAIN-
Political climate and misogyny- the narrative and images captured through this South Beach store window are ‘in your face’ and bring up the subject of self-objectification-- and the dichotomy- empowerment to be and do what you want with your body and express it.
The window displays weave many narratives about sexism, role models, objectification, consumerism, beauty, excess, and social norms.
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American Photographer (b. 1973) This exhibit represents a small portion
of over 30 years of my work- exploring the world’s forgotten
architectural sites. This has been an ongoing project since 1991. In
America, we tend to stucco over or tear down our past, and replace it with
subpar, soulless boxes.
My intention is to artistically preserve these
structures. We should not forget these nostalgic series of dreams. They
are displayed here for our memories; for our children’s memories. As Jack
Kerouac said: “I realized these were all the snapshots which our children
would look at someday with wonder….”
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Contemporary Realism gives me range to embellish what is “contemporary” and what is “realism”. Do the scenes provide sufficient context to communicate the intended vibe? Do the compositions carry the eye to tease the imagination? Is the time and space where it all happens, hiding or revealing some truth about what, if anything, is unfolding. Are the people central to the scene, regardless of gender, relatable characters we have been or could be?
My intention for this series was to create playful paintings to engage viewers whimsical curiosity that reveal a truth about our own voyeuristic tendencies.
I created each painting in the context of a key period of American culture using iconic design elements, furniture, placement and light as actors in a play. Specifically, “MightyMouse” is set in the 1940’s, “LoneRanger” in 1950’s and “Casper” in the 1960’s; these were all popular characters in my childhood.
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“My Artworks doesn’t talk about “an” experience… each piece themselves is “an” experience”.
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Passionate about reclaimed materials and breathing second life into print media now considered old or irrelevant. Have a unique view of the world and how even the most uncommon objects can complement each other.
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I have always been interested in topics of gender, motherhood,
justice, race, the divine spirit and
our human condition. Having been raised in part by an
older brother who was gay and a friend of
my mother’s who was black, I learned...
how to be a mom from them just as much as from my
mom or self. Men being nurturing and feminine, race meaning something different to me than
what it might mean to those around me, and the life giving and altering power of the mother
which has historically been underestimated are partly what drive these three pieces.
My works depict a white mom with black babies, a black mom with a white baby, a lone woman
with a dangling umbilical cord, which has a distinct phallic quality, walking as she carries a
small inverted replica of the white house
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