Rewind Review Respond Vol. 6 | Spring 2023
Rewind Review Respond is an online forum where CCA students write about recent events and the ideas that affect their practice, communities, and fields of study. We invite you, the CCA community, to take time to rewind your week back to these events, take a deeper dive into ideas discussed, and respond to these reviews. RRR is organized by the Exhibitions Department, and edited by Liz Godbey and Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle, with original graphics by Anjni Shah. To join RRR's team of reporters, please send an email to rrr@cca.edu.
Contents:
- New Suns | Purva Gangur
- F*CK! at CCA PLAySPACE: Centering Queer Sexualities | Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle
- Christine Wong Yap’s Recognitions / 认 • 知 : An invitation to reflect on our feelings of belonging | Paulina Félix Cunillé
- Playing Around with Seeing—Highlights from Anh and Hoang Nguyen: Creative Session | Jose Rolando Rojas
- Drum Listens to Heart Part III | Renata Blanco Gorbea
- Dr. julia elizabeth neal on Transnational Scholarship: Performance, Race, and Archives | Jamie Straw
- A Healing Sound Bath at the Wattis | Purva Gangur
- Counting the Uncounted—Highlights from Ekene Ijeoma: Poetic Justice | Jose Rolando Rojas
- Digital Drawing Room
- Resistance & Relaxation | Sam Hiura
- Exploring Identity and Mythology: Cathy Lu’s Installation at the SECA Art Award Exhibition | Katayoun Bahrami
- The SFMOMA SECA Art Award to Maria Guzmán Capron | Dance Doyle
- Maria Guzmán Capron Honors Mixed Identities in the SECA Art Award Exhibition | Marissa Tyler
- Gregory Rick, SECA Art Awards Exhibition | Megan Kelly
- Challenging Classical Norms of Power with Marcel Pardo Ariza’s work in ‘Dismantling Monoliths’ | Qinru Xie
- Interview with Dodie Bellamy on The Letters of Mina Harker | Siyu Lyu
- Interview with Naz Cuguoglu on The Letters of Mina Harker | Sherry Xiang
- Exhibition Review: The Compass Rose by Sunny A. Smith | Yizhou Zhuang
- The Compass Rose | Evelynn Harra
- Ashley Ross: 10/27/03 | Ilina Upalekar
- Black Visibility and Rhythmic Literary Richness in Drum Listens to Heart: Part III | Paulina Félix Cunillé
- David Huffman at Jessica Silverman Gallery | Jianfei Wang
New Suns
March 29–May 5, 2023
By Purva Gangur
"Fragmentation of form is evident in Millett’s work through her use of different fabrics, starkly contrasted within each silhouette. The artist does not try to blend in similar patterns or colors, and wants to showcase these contrasts in her design. This demonstrates the different aspects of our background, such as culture and gender, and how they play a part in our identities. Because all of the silhouettes are similar in form and are presented grouped together, the work also shows that although we have differences, this sense of uniqueness is also what helps us relate to each other and thus be united."
F*CK! at CCA PLAySPACE: Centering Queer Sexualities
March 2–April 14, 2023
By Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle
"I think when you engage in conversation on issues having to do with social consciousness and historically marginalized communities, engaging with multiplicity is not just important– it’s imperative. Without actively including multiple perspectives and multiple ideas, you not only stunt the possibilities of your own project, but you also risk framing those ideas or experiences as a monolith. I think it’s more than basic curatorial practice; it’s a gesture of care."
Christine Wong Yap’s Recognitions / 认 • 知 : An invitation to reflect on our feelings of belonging
Recognitions / 认 • 知: a solo exhibition by Christine Wong Yap
January 25–March 17, 2023
By Paulina Félix Cunillé
"Through this exhibition, Wong Yap declared that she hears the needs of those lacking spaces of identification and responded to that need."
Playing Around with Seeing—Highlights from Anh and Hoang Nguyen: Creative Session
Anh and Hoang Nguyen: Creative Session
March 8, 2023
By Jose Rolando Rojas
"Staying true to and following through on this desire sustains the designers’ energy used to make things happen. Combined with their shared playful spirit, this energy is transformed into excitement—the fuel that makes the Nguyen brothers two creatives that are very much in session."
Drum Listens to Heart Part III
Drum Listens to Heart Part III
January 17–March 4, 2023
By Renata Blanco Gorbea
"The third iteration of Drum Listens to Heart feels like a conversation about different ways in which percussion is interpreted, used, or ever-present in society, and how we understand it. The first two sections of the exhibition really set this argument forward, but as we move through the exhibition, it seems like the conversation shifts toward the connection between sound and spirituality."
Dr. julia elizabeth neal on Transnational Scholarship: Performance, Race, and Archives
julia elizabeth neal - Transnational Scholarship: Performance, Race, and Archives
March 2, 2023
By Jamie Straw
"But neal demonstrates repeatedly that Patterson resists being essentialized, exoticized, or tokenized by an enduring ability to take possession of his own identity. His claim toward multiple centers is an act of self-possession. For example, Patterson lived what neal refers to as a 'transnational' lifestyle."
A Healing Sound Bath at the Wattis
A Healing Sound Bath by Guadalupe Maravilla
February 4, 2023
By Purva Gangur
"Sound baths go beyond the pleasant noises you hear, sending focused vibrations into your body. During Maravilla and Jay’s session, the sound of the gongs overwhelmed me and flooded my ears. I had never imagined gongs could be so loud and powerful."
Counting the Uncounted—Highlights from Ekene Ijeoma: Poetic Justice
February 1, 2023
By Jose Rolando Rojas
"Ijeoma continues, saying that he bridges the gap between life experiences and data in his practice through representation, where he develops language to address an issue, and intervention, where he gives people the information necessary to create change in the space where the issue occurs. The artist is thus no stranger to making his own tools to express his themes and make his vision come alive—this gives his work a strong sense of humanity, warmth, and character despite its occupation with numbers."
This spring, Rewind Review Respond worked with Glen Helfand’s Art and Language course, cross-listed between Curatorial Practice and grad-wide elective, to highlight recent exhibitions involving esteemed CCA alumni and professors around the Bay Area. Thirteen graduate student writers responded to the work of these artists and curators in the form of exhibition reviews and interviews.
Resistance & Relaxation
Resting Our Eyes at ICA SF
January 21–June 25, 2023
By Sam Hiura
"Resting Our Eyes represents rest, adornment, and self-expression as not only necessary, but a vital act of survival and flourishing. Throughout the exhibition, there are also quiet threads reflecting on the tender power of Black inter-feminine relationships which fills the show with a totalizing undercurrent of tenderness and inter-feminine care."
Exploring Identity and Mythology: Cathy Lu’s Installation at the SECA Art Award Exhibition
2022 SECA Art Award Exhibition at SFMOMA
December 17, 2022–May 29, 2023
By Katayoun Bahrami
"Lu employs the mythological figure of Nüwa as a lens through which to examine the complexities of Asian American identity. By manipulating Chinese cultural references, Lu deconstructs preconceived notions about being Asian American, resulting in a deeply personal and political work."
The SFMOMA SECA Art Award to Maria Guzmán Capron
2022 SECA Art Award Exhibition at SFMOMA
December 17, 2022–May 29, 2023
By Dance Doyle
"Guzmán Capron has an absolute mastery of contouring seams and shading with air-brushing. These techniques, and the paint she uses, give her works depth and almost otherworldly three-dimensionality."
Maria Guzmán Capron Honors Mixed Identities in the SECA Art Award Exhibition
2022 SECA Art Award Exhibition at SFMOMA
December 17, 2022–May 29, 2023
By Marissa Tyler
"She represents all sides of her heritage and life in her work, and never has to let go of her own identities in the process."
Gregory Rick, SECA Art Awards Exhibition
2022 SECA Art Award Exhibition at SFMOMA
December 17, 2022–May 29, 2023
By Megan Kelly
"For Rick, the personal is political, and his paintings are evidence of how US history and the political events he has lived through have shaped his life."
Challenging Classical Norms of Power with Marcel Pardo Ariza’s work in ‘Dismantling Monoliths’
Dismantling Monoliths at SF Camerawork
January 17–March 25, 2023
By Qinru Xie
"Ariza's work in the exhibition is a reflection of the creative and dynamic cultural state we are in, and their practice is deeply rooted in collaboration. Every exhibition or project becomes an opportunity to slightly reshape the barriers that limit the potential of diverse lives. The meaning and methods of touch have irrevocably shifted during the pandemic and by using intimate posed and candid imagery to capture moments of togetherness, connection, and kinship, Ariza reifies this moment within the discourse of queerness, trans identity, and BDSM culture."
Interview with Dodie Bellamy on The Letters of Mina Harker
The Letters of Mina Harker at Berkeley Art Center
January 21–March 12, 2023
By Siyu Lyu
"In San Francisco when you go to shows you don't see that much about the female body and sex and desire. Whereas when I go to shows in Los Angeles, it's not hard to find that. The Bay Area needs more of that. So I was really excited to see younger women here making this kind of work."
Interview with Naz Cuguoglu on The Letters of Mina Harker
The Letters of Mina Harker at Berkeley Art Center
January 21–March 12, 2023
By Sherry Xiang
"The exhibition explores the concept of 'monsters' as symbols of outsiders and uses diasporic artistic practices to construct an alternative universe with its own language. The artists come together to form a chosen family, suggesting a new narrative that celebrates the potential of speculative fiction to build alternative worlds. That, along with speculative fiction and futuristic narratives, particularly those related to the other and the alien and what they mean for diasporic and futuristic communities, are among Cuguoglu’s key interests."
Exhibition Review: The Compass Rose by Sunny A. Smith
The Compass Rose at Fort Mason
January 13–March 12, 2023
By Yizhou Zhuang
"In their exhibition, The Compass Rose, Sunny A. Smith provided a look into an alternate dimension through their dreams, memories, and imaginations. They created a career-spanning installation rooted in their family history and the historical significance of objects."
The Compass Rose
The Compass Rose at Fort Mason
January 13–March 12, 2023
By Evelynn Harra
"Sunny A. Smith’s genealogical exhibition The Compass Rose highlights the deep interconnection between familial bonds and the physical objects that carry weighted ancestral histories. Smith’s aim is to understand how the history of our ancestors shapes the way we view ourselves and our place in the present."
Ashley Ross: 10/27/03
10/27/03 at MoAD
December 14, 2022–March 5, 2023
By Ilina Upalekar
"Ross’s pictures challenge traditional notions of Black spirituality. She questions who decides a Black person’s spiritual worth and asks whether that worth can exist in hostile or traumatic settings. This strong message speaks to the broader issues of identity and belonging that many people struggle with. The exhibition showcases artists of color seeking autonomy and freedom from a culture that has marginalized them."
Black Visibility and Rhythmic Literary Richness in Drum Listens to Heart: Part III
Drum Listens to Heart Part III at the Wattis
January 17–March 4, 2023
By Paulina Félix Cunillé
"By understanding Black culture as the epicenter of drumming practices within the United States and other countries, it places NIC Kay’s and Hammons’ installation pieces as crucial for the exhibition, appropriately displaying the works as the first-encountered pieces for this last part. On the other hand, Tupper Hernandez’s detailed dictionary expands the definition of percussion by attributing a community purpose to a percussive action."
David Huffman at Jessica Silverman Gallery
David Huffman: Odyssey at Jessica Silverman Gallery
January 13-February 25, 2023
By Jianfei Wang
"Odyssey is an incredibly rich and multifaceted exhibition that rewards close examination. It is a testament to Huffman's skill as an artist that he is able to combine so many disparate elements—formal abstraction, social justice, science fiction, and more—into a cohesive and thought-provoking body of work."
RRR Contributors
Katayoun Bahrami is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist and curator living in the Bay Area. She draws her inspiration from women’s history to create work that combines social practice, performance, and textile-based installation through mixed-media, video and series of photographic pieces.
Renata Blanco Gorbea is a writer in the undergraduate program majoring in Art History and Visual Culture.
Dance Doyle (CCA MFA Fine Arts '23) is an Oakland-based artist who creates tapestry on floor looms.
Paulina Félix Cunillé (Mexico, 1997) is finishing her first year of the VCS graduate program. Félix Cunillé is interested in creating critical works centered in sound studies and community engagement with special focus on the work of emerging women and queer artists.
Purva Gangur is currently pursuing a BFA in Interaction Design. In addition to that, she holds a special interest in creating fine art through drawing and painting.
Liz Godbey (they/them) is a graduate student pursuing a Dual Degree in Visual + Critical Studies and Fine Art whose practice involves writing, painting, ceramics, and collage.
Evelynn Harra is a Visual and Critical Studies Master's degree student at California College of the Arts. Evelynn has an interest in the visual culture of perception. Her research values the multiplicity of personal experience to deeper understand the visual art within our culture.
Sam Hiura (she/her) is a first-year graduate student in CCA's dual degree program for Visual and Critical Studies and Curatorial Practice. Her academic and professional focuses are centered on contemporary art as resistance, with a particular interest in the intersections of queer and BIPOC experiences.
Megan Kelly (she/her) is the 2022-2023 Graduate Curatorial Fellow at the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts and first year student in CCA’s Curatorial Practice (MA) program. Megan is dedicated to creating a platform to promote contemporary artists, with an emphasis on supporting queer and BIPOC artists.
Siyu Lyu is a ceramic sculptor from China, currently pursuing an MFA in Fine Arts at California College of the Arts.
Jose Rolando Rojas is pursuing an MBA in Design Strategy at California College of the Arts.
Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle is a writer and curator currently pursuing her MA in Visual and Critical Studies.
Anjni Shah is a communication designer from India based in San Francisco, California. She is pursuing an MFA in Design at the California College of the Arts, focusing on graphic design while exploring interaction and industrial design. She has a keen interest in inclusive design, which stems from her fascination with how people perceive the world based on their lived experiences and situation in society.
Jamie Straw (she/they) is a comics creator based out of northeastern Pennsylvania. They are a second year graduate student in CCA's MFA in Comics program. Her work is wide-ranging, but often focuses on the environment and social issues.
Marissa Tyler is an MFA student at CCA and works with subject matter related to her large Mexican family. She is specifically interested in researching Latin cultures for her work.
Ilina Anand Upalekar is an artist and design entrepreneur from India, currently residing in San Francisco. Pursuing an MA in curatorial practice and exhibition design at California College of the Arts, she has a keen interest in global art worlds and creating abstract art that challenges conventions.
Jianfei Wang is a painter, currently pursuing an MFA at California College of the Arts.
Sherry Xiang is a writer, researcher, and artist who is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Curatorial Practice.
Qinru Xie is a photographer who is currently pursuing a MFA in Fine Arts at California College of the Arts.
Yizhou Zhuang is a product designer currently graduating from the MFA Design program.