Greenly Art Space, 2698 Junipero Ave #113 in Signal Hill, will host an exhibit featuring three artists who explore sacred and secular themes. Conversaciones Sagradas— which will include the work of Bea Rios, Chris Gonzales-Aden and S. Starr— will run from Aug. 19 to Oct. 1.
Rios explores the juxtaposition of victory through suffering by interweaving “ancient narratives”  to discover “the transformative power of triumph in the midst of pain through the usage of light, figurative form and photography.” Â
Kimberly Hocking, director of Greenly Art Space, said that, upon meeting Rios last year, she was immediately struck by the power and freedom of expression in her paintings. Â
“I became enthralled with the beauty and suffering she was able to convey with abstract forms and the interplay of contrasting colors,” Hocking said. “I invited [Rios] to create new work for a show this year, and she chose to explore the image of the cruciform, traveling to Mexico City to discover the ways her heritage impacts her artistic creations.”
Gonzales-Aden has examined Biblical narratives for many years through the media of printmaking and drawing. His larger-than-life figures seek to not only “illustrate a story, but to draw from it places of connection with our own stories and our own conversations with God.”
“I believe the artist is a fool, who, through discipline and craftsmanship, plays and jests for his or her audience,” he said, “providing the opportunity to see things from a different perspective and deepen their experiences.”
Starr shares ideas about refugees and their unique struggles.Â
“Lifelong travel has humbled and inspired me with the variety and richness of artistic beauty permeating every country, culture and religion of the world,” Starr said. “My work is shaped and driven by the opposing beauty, crushing hardship and persistent determination of all those who suffer, yet dare to hope for more.” Â
Hocking said the artwork in the exhibit invites viewers to consider their relationship to sacred imagery and to focus their attention on the universal struggles portrayed.
“The images created by these three artists are at times both beautiful and heartbreaking and speak to hope, suffering, pain, light and narrative,” Hocking said.
On Saturday, Aug. 19, from 7pm to 9pm, the gallery will host a free opening reception; the show can also be viewed by appointment at (562) 533-4020 or during regular gallery hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11am to 2pm. More information is available at greenlyartspace.org.
Source: Greenly Art Space
