Uplift / Heavy lifT
June 12 – July 18, 2021
Curated by Thea Quiray Tagle
Closing Reception: Sunday, July 18, 3 pm – 5 pm
In this juried show, artists reflect on the nuanced layers of rage, strength, grief, resilience, and perseverance that have marked our lives over the past year. Collectively, works in the exhibition acknowledge the potential for art to provide an anchor in challenging times as we move from isolation back out into the world at large.
Congratulations to artists JILLIAN CROCHET, FELIX QUINTANA, and TRACY REN for being selected to receive a Curator’s Spotlight Award, which includes the opportunity for a one-on-one studio visit with guest curator THEA QUIRAY TAGLE. A special AUDIENCE AWARD was also given to CALLAN PORTER-ROMERO.
According to Tagle: “Uplift/Heavy Lift is an apt theme for this year’s juried show at Berkeley Art Center. In this year like no other, all of us have needed to shift, bend, and transform every aspect of our daily lives and creative practices as actual strategies of survival. While some of us have experienced the deepest losses of loved ones, job insecurity, and houselessness, and others of us have been relatively protected, none of us remain unscathed by the past year of COVID-19, wildfires, and racial injustice.”
Installation photos by Minoosh Zomorodinia
Milena Arango, VTG / Revelaciones, 2018, digital print on paper, 37 in. x 41 in.
Alexandra Bailliere, Head, 2015, hydrocal, 4 in. x 23 in. x 17 in.
Alexandra Bailliere, 2015, Wall Skins, latex paint, 9 in. x 48 in. x 48 in.
Cristine Blanco, Untitled, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 24 in. x 24 in.
Cristine Blanco, Buried Thoughts, 2021, clay, wood, paint and a buried note, 15 in. x 20 in. x 16 in.
Mariet Braakman
Mariet Braakman, The Void in the Unknown #6, 2020, acrylic & ink on canvas, 24 in. x 24 in.
Alexandra Cicorschi, Lost memories, 2020, wood and oil color on plywood, 30 in. x 24 in.
Alexandra Cicorschi, My mother, falling, 2020, wood and oil color on plywood, 30 in. x 24 in.
Brian Conery, Terrain, 2021, mixed medium, 36 in. x 24 in. x 2 in.
Jillian Crochet
Curator’s Spotlight Award
Jillian Crochet, Certain Bodies (installation view), 2021, aluminum sign, sign post, cement, 48 in. x 18 in. x 18 in.
Jillian Crochet, I Like Nature and Nature Likes Me (video still), 2021, running time 45:14
Reniel Del Rosario, Golden Ticket, 2020, ceramics and gold, 12 in. x 6.5 in. x 6.5 in.
Leeza Doreian, Sea Cells, 2020, oil on wood, 6 in. x 2 in. x .8 in.
Clea Felien
Clea Felien, Ever Given #2, 2021, ink on paper, 30 in. x 22.5 in.
Lindsey Filowitz, Donkey Talks: North Dakota / Ruth Buffalo (video stills), 2020, running time 28:12
Jo Ford, Mer Angels, 2020, oil on canvas, 24 in. x 30 in.
Yana Goldfine, Untitled, 2021, porcelain, 17.5 in. x 20.5 in. x 9.5 in.
Cynthia Gonzalez, Big Bertha, 2020, ceramic, nail polish, acrylic paint, custom rug, 28 in. x 16 in. x 30 in.
Uma Rani Iyli, Winding and Unwinding-9, 2020, repurposed silk thread, 20 in. x 15 in.
Kacy Jung, 21 Grams, the Weight of Souls series - Grocery Bag #3, 2020, printable fabric and resin, 26 in. x 13 in. x 7 in.
Mihee Kim, Manifesto, layered photography, 2020, 42 in. x 34 in.
Melody Kozma-Kennedy, Isolation, 2019, bronze, concrete, and gold leaf, 5 in. x 7 in. x 5 in.
Melody Kozma-Kennedy, A Bench for Purists, wood, 2019, 18 in. x 43 in. x 14 in.
Ahn Lee, a patch of sky, 2020, porcelain, hand-mixed original Jun-inspired glaze, 3.75 in. x 6.88 in. each
Natasha Loewy, How are you holding up?, 2021, cinder blocks, 16 in. x 6 in. x 16 in.
Natasha Loewy, Breathing Space, 2020, mixed media, 13 in. x 13 in. x 9 in.
Fredi Lopez, I'll Be, 2021, ceramic, 20 in. x 14 in. x 18 in.
Mary V. Marsh, Here/Hear: Ashland Fir, 2021, map, yep here, photopolymer intaglio and letterpress on Hahnemuhle, 17 in. x 13 in. x .75 in.
Mariewa Miller, Entry 02-05.2021, 2021, ceramic, wool weaving, small hoops, and necklace, 21 in. x 15.5 in. x 2 in.
Judit Navratil, Long Distance Somersault Nest (video still), 2021, running time 0:53
Judit Navratil, Mary's Cape // Flying Tents (video still), 2021, running time 20:00
Beril Or, a replacement for your loss (installation view), 2020, rock, person’s body, 8 in. x 7 in. x 6 in.
Beril Or, tracing absence II (detail), 2021, pencil on vellum, 44 pages book, 1 in. x 11 in. x 8 in.
Marcela Pardo Ariza, JanpiStar (Peralta-Laney), 2020, 1/8" nonglare plex face mount with a 3mm sintra back, 19 in. x 13 in.
Callan Porter-Romero, Reclaiming the Resurrection of Us, 2020, mixed media/acrylic, 48 in. x 36 in.
mel prest, Maraca Maraca, 2020, acrylic, fluorescent, metallic acrylics on wood panel, 12 in. x 12 in. x 2 in.
Felix Quintana
Curator’s Spotlight Award
Felix Quintana, para los lil homies (part i), 2021, collage on stretched canvas, 22 in. x 28 in.
Felix Quintana, para los lil homies (part ii), 2021, collage on stretched canvas, 22 in. x 28 in.
Felix Quintana, para los lil homies (part iii), 2021, collage on stretched canvas, 22 in. x 28 in.
Tracy Ren
Curator’s Spotlight Award
Tracy Ren, Through The Spirit Screen, 2020, plywood, paint, ceramic, found bricks, orange, orange peels, 50 in. x 50 in. x 36 in.
Tracy Ren, Untitled, 2020, ceramic, paint, bent ash, and found chair, 36 in. x 30 in. x 28 in
Juan Carlos Rodriguez Rivera, Diasporic View #1, 2020, acrylic, 24 in. x 18 in.
Jose Sanchez, Untitled, 2021, ceramic, rope, wire, 9in. x 4in. x 5in.
Brian Singer, Unwritten Spring Books, 2021, clear acrylic, wood, canvas, 27 in. x 23 in.
Amrita Singhal, Greta's Journey, 2021, oil on linen, 24 in. x 24 in.
Dobee Snowber, Watch That First Step, 2021, mixed media on board, 36 in. x 36 in. x 2 in.
Nga Trinh, Equanimity, 2020, origami paper, 32 in. x 40 in.
Alice Wu, Eternal Flame, 2020, cotton, paper, kapok, wood, plastic, and acrylic, 12 in. x 7 in. x 7 in.
Michelle Yi Martin, Hold On #2, 2021, paper, pastel, and ink, 26 in. x 24 in. x 1 in.
Rochelle Youk, Gat weave study, top knot no.2, 2018, gouache on clay gesso panel, 8 in. x 8 in. x 1 in.
Rochelle Youk, Gat sketch no. 2, 2016, hair of the artist, 4 in. x 9 in. x 6 in.
Artwork images courtesy of the artists