You'll Never Walk Alone 338 Gallery, 338 Guerrero St San Francisco CA, Summer 2004
The images in this show feature abandoned things - structures, landscapes, objects, and people. Each has a story, and since they've been left untended time has left a patina of weather, sunlight, and decay alongside re-use and/or dis-use. A 1950s era machine shop becomes this year's check cashing and overseas remittance business, while the video store and lunch counter are shuttered and abandoned.
These pieces are acrylic and watercolor on canvas, cotton, and paper. The images are usually bichromate or cyanotype -19th century photographic processes that were themselves abandoned, initially in favor of silver-based materials, and later by digital imagery.
The pieces explore the relationship between peoples' memories and their perceptions of the world around them, especially concerning experiences of immigration. The immigration experience typically makes individuals choose which parts of their identities and customs to retain, modify, and/or discard, and which elements of their new culture to pursue. The great, silent silent partner in this process is society itself, and how it views its immigrants carries great significance in how their roles and identities develop.
I try to give the viewer the visual information to move forward with their own thoughts, so they become a collaborator in each piece.