Brit Abuya, Come Back Soon

July 15 - August 5, 2022

One Grand Gallery presents Come Back Soon, an exhibition of new multi-media paintings by artist Brit Abuya, and curated by Luiza Lukova. The works on display approach making as a way to dig deeper into the self - they encapsulate specific moments in time within the artist’s life. Synonymous with coming out of the last several years of isolation and navigating the transitional space left in its wake, captured here are notes on a constant state of metamorphosis. Like the inclusion of the moths in “Untitled Diptych”, or the birthday balloons in “Talk To Me Nice”, each of these pieces are markers of a growth that is thoroughly personal. The appearance of doors as a recurring theme are linked to Abuya’s manner in expressing deeply consequential events, such as the loss of a loved one, that have transformed them and their practice. The doors are symbols to note both a feeling of passing through, as much as a feeling of purely passing by. There is no right and there is no wrong, there are only lived experiences that shape our daily perception.

In this manner, the suite of works in Come Back Soon stands as a metaphorical home for the artist, a whirlwind of color, experience, and emotion that evolve with each viewing. The abundance of self- portraiture is a steady subject matter for Abuya, as is the desire to communicate feelings kept close to the cuff. Knives, skeletons, shells, and clouds similarly hold relevant significance for Abuya, and make an appearance here as hints to a subconscious understanding of the artist’s process.The paintings are embedded with hidden, intricate text details necessitating viewers to come up close and personal in order to decode the messages. As the artist considers how those statements will be received by a larger audience, the viewer is left to wonder how the artist has moved through those scenarios. Encapsulating highs and lows in abundance, sharp revelations exist in multitudes within each painting.

Brit Abuya (b. 1994, Long Beach, CA) is a Trans Non-binary tattoo artist and painter from the Filipinx diaspora, currently based in Portland, OR. They grew up in Las Vegas, NV, which they consider their hometown and where their early life experiences with systematic oppression as a brown person, experiencing houselessness and living well below the poverty line left a forceful impact. Their practice is confessional and intimate, unpacking their past and present experiences, in an attempt to connect with others who might have parallel or similar experiences. They work in painting, tattooing, drawing and baking. The way these different art forms meld and intersect is in a state of constant re-imagination, and their personal practice reflects that ongoing expansion.  
 



@just_brit

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