Convergence, 2024.
Acrylic Paint on canvas. Purchase
—
Art by Jonathan Espinoza
Poem by ben aki
—
I was born an island
I was born
an island
the product of
the meeting between
a peninsula
and a pond
in the traffic of
coming
and going
settler is he
of backstrokes
and forward marches
in the traffic of
coming
and going
settler is he
who works this land
to make it country
that is how I became
an island
the product of
the meeting between
a passport
and legal status
if it claims America
I say swim
swim my darling!
into the wall
out of the boundless
like those who came last night
and those that come in darkness
—
ben aki | I am an Ecuadorian-American writer currently living in the Andes. One of the topics that I explore in my poetry is certainly that of belonging. I left Ecuador at such a young age that I had to come back to try to make sense of who I am. After being away from the States for so long, I now feel the need to go back to the streets and apartments, but also the people of Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Home, I´m finding out, has to do with living in the here while envisioning the there, and vice versa.
Jonathan Espinoza | As a classically trained oil painter, I’ve come to appreciate the historic nature of this medium. My use of bold color pairings, even gradients, and rich oil textures that call the viewer to linger on a piece – are the strengths of my training as a professional painter. However, I pay homage to my roots in illustration all the same with the content of my work. Pairing contrasting figures intends to create a sense of story-telling, but from an abstract, dream-like perspective: Memories, histories, thoughts, experiences, past-lives, current life.
Each work presents a spectre-like guide inviting the viewer into transient yet vivid experiences that transcend time. Releasing myself from the pressure of telling just one story, or adhering to a set statement, I found inspiration in the haze. Intentional composition with abstract structuring of pre-and post-hispanic symbolism, cultural story-telling, and the connection of a modern-day lived experience; the spectre offers insight into an out-of-body conversation on transformation, identify, and the connection we share with the past, present, and future.
—
1000 Words | Home Not Home Artists + Writers
Noa Alemán + Tamar Brooks • Jacqueline Almaguer + Alanis Castillo Caref • Lexi Alvarado + Isabela Ortega • Danielle Arend + Janina Gatilao • Sofia Brunwin + Spencer Hutchinson • Andrea Cole + Rocio Franco • Lydia Collins + Tarnynon Onumonu • Gregory Diaz + Irvin Ibarra • Danielle Dykerhouse + Betsy Van Die • Jonathan Espinoza + ben-aki • Jaymes Fedor + Maria Requena • Samantha Franco + Angeles Rangel • Ines Gardea + Angelica Davila • Frank Geiser + Penny Mann • Evelyn Hernandez + Valeria Osornio • Stephanie Hererra + Neha Chawla • Ivana Jarmon + Theo Sullivan • Vivian Jones + Luz Silva • Lewis Lain + Thulasi Seshan • Cesar Luna + benedicta m badia • Marie Magnetic + Jasmine Rodriguez • Delisha Mckinney + Paloma Velasco • Diana Noh + Juj-Lepe • Andrew Rehs + Corbett Berger • Clau Rocha + Maria Jose Ramos Villagra • Amyia Ross Brittanii Batts (Tanae b) • Fawaz Sakaw + Arianna Maggio • Lucero Sanchez + Clay-Cofre • Ramin Takloo-Bighash + Yiwen-Lyu • TEEL ONE + Melody Contreras • Pamela Trejo + Kim Yeoh • Cindy Uriostegui + Scum Drop • Ami Vasilopoulos + Stephanie Cruz Rincon • Ivy Waegel + Aryn Hills • Emily Schroeder Willis + Angelica Flores • Raine Yung + Micaela Petkus