Nomadic Treasures Catalog AHA Fine Art

Nomadic Treasures Curated by Francesca Arcilesi & Norma Homberg August 3 - September 10th, 2023

175 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011 I info@ahafineart.com

Introduction “The artists in Nomadic Treasures explore personal themes of identity such as religion, spirituality and culture and their connections to larger forces, such as the natural world, by exploring how they are inherently connected to pre- and postcolonial abuses of power, warfare, community, and environment. Depicting portraits, figures, temples, mythic treasures and objects/relics, landscapes, and fantastical animals, these artists realize - and personalize journeys - relating to migrant, immigrant and intrinsically ancestral experiences.

Through their visual language, these artists bridge universal imagination with personal investigations of memory, cultural identity and folklore. By examining how the ancient past has a hold on our present, these artists invite viewers to construct their stories and testimonials, journeying from the past to the present in Nomadic Treasures.” - Francesca Arcilesi

Jose Arenas “My paintings explore a personal and globally shared immigrant experience through collage-like compositions that incorporate and combine familiar forms that speak to common journeys and a yearning for sense of place and belonging.

Using a layered approach, I depict everyday objects derived from an ever expanding personal iconography. Familiar and recognizable forms are chosen for striking recognition, symbolic possibilities, and a capacity for meaning-making among diverse viewers. I enjoy combining and rearranging objects and decorative elements, sometimes spontaneously and at other times in a deliberate manner, to produce emotionally resonant narratives. The collaged images and words represent a limitless cultural mapping, driven by memory, reflection, and a longing for personal and historical meaning. This mapping is represented in works like All Things Big and Small (2022), where I incorporate multiple objects hovering above a single style family home. Like a starling murmuration, the collective symbols form a singular organism that floats lyrically as a visual representation of memories and experiences. In this painting, the idea of home is further explored as a place for building memories, manifested through the dense collection of symbols interspersed throughout the composition.”

Jose Arenas is a contemporary artist based in California. His paintings explore dual identities, migration, cultural ritual, and the memoryscapes of a migratory childhood. Born in San Jose, California, Arenas regularly traveled between Northern California and Guadalajara, Mexico. His experiences navigating two worlds - along with its complex processes of integration and assimilation - drive his impulse to form meaning using familiar objects, motifs, and culturally specific symbols. Arenas received a BFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute (1995), and an MFA from UC Davis (2000). His artwork has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States in cities that include San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and New York City.

Jose Arenas, All Things (Big and Small), 2022, Oil on canvas, 66 x 75”.

Jose Arenas, Mi Dulce, 2019, Oil on canvas, 67 x 67”.

Jose Arenas, Navigator, 2023, Oil on canvas, 8 x 8”.,

Jose Arenas, Getting Free, 2023, Oil on canvas, 8 x 8”.

Jose Arenas, Dolorsito, 2023, Oil on canvas, 18 x 18”.

Rigo Flores “My name is Rigoberto Flores and I was born in Guerrero, Mexico. The work I make involves politics, immigration, cartel violence and religious themes. I’m interested in presenting these challenging and difficult concepts to have them remain in the public consciousness. The work I produce involves charcoal drawings, textiles, print, and painting.

The work I create is intended to address inconsistencies in established ideas, usually involving government violence.

Throughout history, art has been used to promote institutional propaganda. I am searching to do the same, while opposing these colonialist Structures. In recent work I’ve been creating images on tortilla warmers to emphasize my cultural background. Cartel violence in Mexico is prevalent in some areas, including the state where I was born.

Farmlands are being taken over by cartels to grow illicit drugs. The images embroidered over the tortilla warmers are a sort of violence imposed on the cultural significance of the objects. The religious images depict how it was also used to violently colonize the country of Mexico.”

Rigoberto Jaimes Flores (Rigo Flores) was born in the country of Mexico. Flores currently works and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He received an AA degree in Fine Arts at Phoenix College, a BFA from Arizona State University and he earned his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Selected venues for several group exhibitions and solo exhibitions include the Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art; Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; Triennial Exhibition, Rhode Island School of Design; Yale School of Art, New Haven, Connecticut; Arizona Biennial 2020, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, Arizona; 20th Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, California; Maus Habitos, Portugal and the Universidad Tecnologica de Tijuana and Casa de Cultura, Playas de Tijuana in Mexico.

Rigo Flores Verde 2020 Charcoal on paper 4 x 6"

Rigo Flores, Verde, 2020, Charcoal on paper, 4 x 6".

Rigo Flores, Verde II, 2020, Charcoal on paper, 4 x 6".

Rigo Flores, Regando el Jardin, 2023, Hand Embroidered, floss & thread on tortilla warmer, 36 x 20".

Rigo Flores, El conquistador Culero 2021, Hand, Embroidered, floss & acrylic on muslin, 8 x 8".

Rigo Flores, El Pendejo de Juan Diego, 2021 Hand, Embroidered, floss & acrylic on muslin, 8 x 8".

Rigo Flores, La Llorona, 2021 Hand Embroidered, floss & acrylic on muslin, 8 x 8".

Rigo Flores,Verde III (Jesus Mal Verde), 2021 Hand Embroidered, floss & acrylic on muslin, 8 x 8".

Rigo Flores, Ayer hoy mañana, 2022, Hand Embroidered floss and marker on muslin, 8 x 8”.

Rigo Flores, Chinga tu madre, 2022, Hand Embroidered, floss & thread on tortilla warmer, 16 x 16".

Rigo Flores, Chinga tu madre II, 2022, Hand Embroidered, floss & charcoal on tortilla warmer, 28 x 28".

Rigo Flores, La Siembra, 2023, Hand Embroidered, floss & thread on tortilla warmer, 16 x 16".

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Kellyann Monaghan “I use landscapes as a journey and stage for the drama of light, air and movement. I attempt to see past the structured spaces into the otherworldly qualities of the landscape. I am intrigued by the way light plays on natural forms, energizing and describing turbulence. There is a mystery in the dynamics of light and atmosphere in contrast to the solid landscape planes. In recent years I had the opportunities to paint on-site in southern France, Ireland and New Mexico, where varied color palettes and unique distinctions of the landscapes have emerged.

The stormy weather and powerful climate conditions permeating the landscape have become a natural and more recent trajectory in my painting. The surface of the landscape paintings erupt with textured and expressive gestural marks, which are depictions of the radical weather events. I find unexpected beauty out of the destructive qualities of the weather. The weather is an instinctive inspiration for my tendencies as an “alla prima” painter. I aim to maintain an element of spontaneity and directness in the paint and print. A fluid and spontaneous quality in every paint stroke are very important to me. I primarily work all prima both in painting and in the monotype printmaking process. I edit, emphasize and exaggerate structural and organic forms. In the monotype process, I utilize the subtractive approach where each mark reveals light, form and texture. The process allows for idiosyncratic and unexpected painterly qualities to occur. The nuances of light, atmosphere and weather generate constant awe, yet sometimes fear and surprise.”

Kellyann Monaghan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a painter of landscapes and dramatic weather events portraying nature’s power, awe and beauty. She received her BFA from Moore College of Art Design and her MFA from Brooklyn College, CUNY. Kellyann Monaghan exhibited her work in numerous solo and group shows nationally and internationally.

Kellyann Monaghan, Ghost Ranch II, 2017, Oil on panel, 11 x 14”.

Kellyann Monaghan, Baracas and Chimayo Pond, 2019, Oil on panel, 10 x 6 ½”.

Kellyann Monaghan, Ghost Ranch 3, 2019. Acrylic on paper, 10 x 6 1/2".

Kellyann Monaghan, Chimney Rock, Ghost Ranch, 2017, Acrylic on paper, 10 x 6 ½”.

Kellyann Monaghan, Baracas, Pyramid and Flat Top, 2018, Oil on panel, 11 x 14".

Kellyann Monaghan, Chimney Rock, Ghost Ranch, 2017, Oil on panel, 11 x 14".

Kellyann Monaghan, How Well You Walk Through the Fire, 2020, Oil on panel, 25 x 20".

Kellyann Monaghan, Mind the Dip 2020, Oil on panel, 18 x 24".

Kellyann Monaghan, Storm of Telephone Wires, 2018, Oil on panel, 11 x 14".

Kellyann Monaghan, Sandy Waves and Verrazano Bridge, 2017, Oil on panel, 9 x 12".

Manuel Hernandez Hernandez continues a tradition that dates back to the ancient frescoes found in the temples of Teotihuacan, Mexico. Grommets are placed on the sides of the paintings making them portable, a reflection of the constant migration his family has had but also the displacement of Indigenous people. The canvas is shaped in forms that reflect shapes found in nature that show a resemblance to animal hide paintings. Hernandez portrays Indigenous people surrounded by imagery inspired by art before colonialism. As part of the process a conversation is had between the artist and the subject. They explore beliefs, gender, family history, racism, environmentalism, and other topics that arise. These then show up in a visual language in the painting. Sometimes through text or sometimes through symbolism. In other murals, he revisits history and adds an indigenous perspective to them.

Manuel Hernandez revises the history of his ancestors and reconnects with his indigenous roots from a Latinx perspective. He creates large-scale works that integrate the past with contemporary life. His subjects are the current Brown leaders he finds in the community who have personally inspired him. He captures their thoughts and paints them in an elegant, confident style. The resulting paintings are shaped like hide paintings and scaled like the fresco murals; both connect them to Native American painting history and break away from European traditions.

Hernandez was born in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, one generation before his family came from a small pueblo Sultepequito, Mexico.

Continuing the migrating tradition, his mother went to the United States to seek better education for the next generation. Hernandez started painting at a young age and later developed it through higher education. He got his BFA at Indiana University Southeast and his MFA at the New York Academy of Art. 21c museums and the Gochman Family Collection have collected his work. He has received awards such as the Gamblin Award as well as scholarships from Gucci America. He currently lives in NYC, working out of a studio in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where he continues to make paintings inspired by his surrounding environment and the history of Indigenous people in America.

Manuel Hernandez, Mushroom Guardians, 2018, Oil on canvas board, 17 x 27".

Manuel Hernandez, Inside the cupboard, 2023, Oil on wood board, 9 x 18".

Manuel Hernandez, Market, 2023, Oil on wood board, 9 x 31".

Manuel Hernandez, Axolotl Regeneration, 2018, Acrylic on shaped canvas, 78 x 68".

Manuel Hernandez.Vegas, 2023, Acrylic on shaped canvas, 93 x 86".

Lauren Evans Lauren E. Evans is a painter, sculptor, fashion designer, and children’s book author/illustrator. She enjoys vibrant colors and celebrations of the human form, animals, and nature. She believes there should be beauty in art, and that people should in some way benefit psychologically from its influence. She usually strives to achieve a sense of compositional serenity, regardless of the subject matter. Evans makes predominantly one-of-a-kind fashion garments, casts her small sculptures in metal, and prefers to paint with acrylic, which she regards as the most direct medium. Her work often suggests a sense of escapism: a pathway from the intensity of New York City (where she was born and still resides) to the calm and vacant countrysides of her imagination.

Aviva the Mermaid, 2010 “Many years ago, at the Pratt Draw-A-Thon (a yearly, 12-hour drawing marathon at Pratt Institute, with numerous live models), I entered a room labeled “6 hour pose,” and there I found Aviva. Despite her heavy frame, she conveyed a captivating grace. I loved the beauty of her curves and have always thought of her as the most visually compelling model I’ve had the honor to draw. I heard she had once been a ballerina, and that made sense to me; her small dainty feet, soft delicate hands, and general demeanor seemed like that of a ballerina. She looked kind, but there was also a vulnerable sorrow in her face. I had entered the room late and spent the remainder of her time in that pose drawing her, with pencil on paper. Directly referencing this drawing, I made this painting. Here, Aviva appears to be deep in thought on a quiet beach, a calm sea ahead of her as the sun sets. I also attempted to portray a subtle hint of romanticized loneliness. I have held onto this painting for many years, as I have yet to feel as impassioned by another model.”

Lauren Evans, Aviva the Mermaid, 2010, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 60".

Simón Safos Simón Safos is a cross-disciplinary artist working out of Queens, New York whose work primarily consists of fine art, illustration, photography, and music. From performances at Carnegie Hall to gallery exhibitions with various curators throughout New York, Simón has had the privilege of expressing himself through these different expressive disciplines. Greek and Colombian in heritage, he was born and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens which had a notable influence on his creative expression. He attended the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, where he studied as a vocalist refining his craft and love of music. He then studied as an illustrator at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan and has also attended The Art Students League of New York, further strengthening his artistic passions.

It Grows, 2023 - “This piece is the first of a three-part series which embodies the entity that is “change”; the unforgiving yet empowering force that can come along with life’s uncertainties. This is a common theme throughout the artist's latest EP, SOURCE where a part of this painting has been set as the album cover. This painting serves as an invitation to celebrate the genesis of hope in times of desperation. Each limb is a vein of place, time, and moment. The tree bestows a single flower surrounded by a gilded halo; an element often used to insinuate the presence of divinity. Extending from the pointer finger of a hand surreal in nature, the flower can be seen as a symbol of resilience and hope. A gesture of encouragement yet to be seen by the subject: the trees host. Hair is seen scattered along the vaguely tiled floor; an effort to express the intimacy of a moment of change. One of metamorphosis and courage. This symbol extends beyond the realm of physical appearance and is to be applied to the tribulations of everyday decision making: a reference to the philosophies of determinism and free will.” Simón Safos

Simón Safos, Rupture, 2018 Acrylic on canvas, 15 x 30”.

Simón Safos, It Grows 2023 Oil on canvas, 50 x 72".

FAKELORE/ Caroline Voagen Nelson Caroline Voagen Nelson is a media artist working in animation, digital art, and installation. Her work has a collaged, atmospheric aesthetic that brings to life moments from history, mythology, and memory. She deconstructs and rebuilds archives and environments to create surreal recollections of the past in the moving image form.

Nelson holds an MFA in Digital Art with a focus in Animation at Pratt Institute and BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

She is a 2021 NYFA Artist Fellow in Video/Film and has been an artist-in-residence at MASS MoCA and MWPAI art museums. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums such as Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Museum of the City of New York.

Her award-winning animated shorts have screened at film festivals around the world, including Ann Arbor Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Animasivo el Festival in Mexico City, and Tricky Women at Film Archiv Austria. She has given several lectures and artist talks on experimental animation, most recently at Harvard University.Nelson has a background as a photo/video journalist with her prior work featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Art News Magazine, and Time Out NY. FAKELORE Collective: Fables and Legends of the Americas is a stop motion animation series inspired by folktales from North and South American countries. The series retells cultural stories from the past through a combination of traditional stop motion animation, digital techniques, and fabricated environments. Each story is photographed from an overhead perspective, using pixilation stop motion with live actors. The style of storytelling melds the 2D and 3D through hand-drawn and sculpted props, editing the piece into a stop motion animation narrative.

Caroline Voagen Nelson + FAKELORE Collective, Madremonte [Installation], 2023 Site-specific 5 channel video installation, grass and moss.

Caroline Voagen Nelson + FAKELORE Collective Madremonte [Giclee Print], 2023.

Nomadic Treasures Installation

175 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011 I info@ahafineart.com