HOPE EXHIBITION
Saturdays, 2pm-6pm
335 Main St, Metuchen, NJ 08840
Swimmer's Crossing (Sold)
18" x 24"
Dabora Choi
@ddabol.a
This painting is a rather neutral response to "hope." In my construction of this piece, I made choices that question the connotation of the word. The use of less saturated colors and the serene landscape are examples of this. Is hope happy or sad? It is a feeling that exists between both emotions. The composition is meant to evoke the departure of a familiar place into something curious yet exciting. In light of recent events, this departure involves a community that is pursuing its hopes together. This created the title of "Swimmers Crossing."
Evolution (Sold)
30x40
Dabora Choi
@ddabol.a
"Evolution" is in response to the effect that hope has on people and events. Formatted in self-portraits, the figures arranged across the painting create a timeline. Hope is a major feeling that enables change. Here, this change is conveyed through the timeline of figures. Without hope, desired outcomes would lose their value and create a disheartening impact on the world. Though the composition only depicts the feeling in one person, "hope" is a state of mind that has the ability to bring about larger phenomena in the world. This painting represents a smaller scale of this.
There’s Light
16” x 20”
Jenny Chen
It's been a drab year with the pandemic and all the issues going on in the United States as well as the rest of the world. And sometimes it feels like everything is going wrong and just when something is going right, or you feel like you've gotten into a good routine, it all changes again leaving you feeling like there's no light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted this piece to symbolize the strength and persistence we have all gained throughout this time. The subject of the painting is in a black suit and wearing a freaky black gasmask, and they're surrounded by these bold, colorful blooms. I think that the person really represents the dull and dreariness of the year we've been having, but we still push through by working from home, (perhaps in a black business suit or maybe not..) or exercising, or picking up hobbies. The flowers in the background remind me of the idea that there are good parts of even the most horrible of situations and it's all about they way you want to look at things. Also, everything passes and we must be stronger than we think we are.
I, Alone
36“ x 36”
Jasmine Chen
@mini_c.art
Like many others, the pandemic forces me into isolation. I've become alone to ponder my habits and thoughts, free from the interruptions of daily obligations. Why do I seem to lose interest in the things I've so passionately spoke of before? Is it because I am alone, taking a break from what I think others will think of me? How shall I deal with myself now? For every concern I whisper to myself, I retract into seclusion, and I'd wish everything else would melt away. Slowly, my room melts into a welcoming shape that makes me enjoy the stay. I feel content here, by my lonesome. Slowly, I stash bits of trust in the eventual; there's a bunch of things I want to try, songs I'll want to hear, and moments I will surely miss. Slowly, I became hopeful in a life I wish to experience. As the world oozes to nothing, there are flickers of yellow stars falling beside me. I sit here on the carpet by my bedside; I am alone, with my mind, my tendencies, my agony, and my efforts. They are all quite lovely.
A Walk on Water (Sold)
20" x 24"
Michelle Shum
When the Clouds Clear (Sold)
16" x 20"
Michelle Shum
Future
11” x 14”
Lin Jing Feucht
@linjing_feucht
This piece depicts three hands in different poses. One is pointing, symbolizing the start of a new direction. The second one is reaching out, representing a sense of longing for a better future. The third hand is grasping, grasping at something we already possess. This piece aims to remind the audience of what they have accomplished while they reach for a better future.
They Told her to Blend in
36x48
Sydney Paige Lazare
They told her that she was too confident. They told her that she was too shy. They told her that she was too big, too small. She cares too much, she doesn’t care enough. She asked for it, she’s too reserved. Society keeps telling women who to be, and who to show up as. Society tells her to blend in, because if she doesn’t blend, she shines!
In a Box
12” x 16”
Kaayla Lee
@manoleettuce
Since March 2020, I’ve felt my life had been put on pause as my high school graduation was reduced to a slideshow as I watched it on my phone in my pajamas. Now in college, I’ve spent ten months studying with my classmates in our zoom classes, but I can’t call them my friends. Although I’ve felt a little more lonely this past year and a half, I still have faith for the future: I will get the chance to experience what I missed out on, met new and familiar faces, and see new things with my own eyes; no longer will I have to stay boxed in and continue my life.
Halloween in the New Normal
16x24
Katherine Townsend
This is a painting of a rare moment in time where things felt normal again, halloween of 2020. The faint memory of past halloween nights, seeing friends and coming out of our secluded lives is captured in this painting, even with the reminder of the pandemic remaining tied to us.
Chasing Shadows, 2022
18” x 24”
Karliegh Fisher
This work was done by tearing up pieces of paper painted with India ink and collage onto Bristol paper to form a self-portrait.
While we are approaching the light at the end of the tunnel, I reflect on the past two years. As I was creating this piece of art, quite literally chasing shadows to capture this photo of myself, I looked at that phrase in a more metaphorical sense. Looking back, I see how I spent a lot of time these past few years chasing the shadows of pre-pandemic life, yearning for the time when things felt “normal.” However, I often block out how much growth I achieved during this time. When the pandemic began, I was a naive high school student apprehensive about what the future holds. Now, sitting here writing this as a sophomore in college, I am able to pull the positives out of this unprecedented event and see that I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if the world did not endure this. As we enter this new year, I am hopeful that as a society, we can come together and use what we have learned for the better and not to dwell on the past. My artwork is a reminder of that, to have hope.