Across a wide range of mediums and themes, “Together” celebrates female artists in the world of public art. Faith XLVII, Monica Canilao, Lauren Napolitano, and Ola Volo were carefully selected by Bunnie Reiss for their contributions, heavily developed thoughts, strong voices, and reputations within their community. The link between these women are their actions as activists, changers, makers, and creators in the public art world, most for over a decade. The femininity they bring to the laborious work of painting giant murals inspires people to take a hard look at the paradigms forced upon them and step into a different view of street and public art, a view that these artists have opened the door to.
We’ve lived left of center.
(Bunnie Reiss)
Bunnie Reiss’s new body of work focuses on immortalizing intimate portraits of animals effected by the extremities of climate change. Both moody and soft, the color palettes and use of old antique papers represent the idea of major, irreversible loss. Her work touches on both past and present, while melding the two worlds into a dreamlike space where the animals live within a mixture of the atmosphere, weather patterns, and imaginary landscape.
Faith XLVII uses her work to speak to the complexities of the human condition, its deviant histories, and existential search. Her mediums range from painting, printmaking and drawings, to shrine construction and found & rescued objects. While other people see a dilapidated building as proof that the world is purging itself of the unwanted, Faith reclaims these forgotten materials and re-purposes them with a sensuality and sensibility of her own.
Lauren Napolitano’s work celebrates the art of handmade and the imperfections that come along with it. Finding inspiration through her mother’s Mexican heritage and ancestors, Lauren achieves depth with shapes and bold lines creating her own symbolic language while leaving a clearly feminine mark.
Monica Canilao uses her work to communicate and engage with others transcending distance, time, or place. Canilao re-imagines the meaning of home and the power of collectivity. The images she uses are rooted in commonalities of personal history that creates a visual vernacular that resonates beyond verbal and individual differences.
Ola Volo creates winding narratives that acknowledge the subtleties of human nature while celebrating the little surprises of everyday life. Ola uses multiculturalism and folklore to bring animals, people, architecture, and nature together to articulate diverse stories rich with symbolism and elaborate forms.