Visions From Abroad

The newly opened Flushing Town Hall exhibition “Visions from Abroad” is offering different perspectives on Flushing through specially created pieces.
The exhibit, which was curated by Omar Lopez-Chahoud, features the works of seven artists who are from Latin America and New York. They are Dario Escobar, Gabriela Galvan, Jeffrey Gibson, Mark Golamco, Patrick Hamilton, Daniel Joglar, and Rachel Mason.
The artists spent a two-week period in Flushing in order “to take the multi-cultural temperature of the community.” Following that, the artists created works of art in Flushing Town Hall based on their experiences prior to the exhibition opening.
“Omar Lopez-Chahoud is an accomplished curator, and the idea of this exhibition was so interesting and provocative, we were thrilled to bring it to our gallery,” said Lucy Davidson, the Director of Art Services at Flushing Town Hall.
Lopez-Chahoud came up with the concept for “Visions from Abroad” while traveling throughout South America, wanting to create a dialogue between New York artists and South American artists. He said that he thought it would be interesting to bring the artists to a particular neighborhood to create art specific to the site and to the community.
During the two-week period, the participating artists interacted with people in Flushing, which was selected as the location because of it also having the gallery. Lopez-Chahoud said that everything that was used to create the pieces included in “Visions from Abroad” was purchased in Flushing.
“Artists need the kind of challenge that an exhibit like ‘Visions from Abroad’ gives them,” Lopez-Chahoud said. “Flushing Town Hall has given me the opportunity to not just bring the work of artists I admire from abroad, but to bring the actual artists. Allowing Latin American artists to create works of art alongside New York artists is where the real learning happens. It can take the work of these participating artists to a whole different level.”
“Visions from Abroad” features artwork of varying mediums, including paintings, sculpture, photography, video and performance.
Lopez-Chahoud said that the exhibition is educational in that those who go to view it can see how the artists reference demographics and history in their work. He said that people will also be able to learn more about the Flushing neighborhood.
In November of 2008, Lopez-Chahoud said that he plans to do a similar project in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn.
“Visions from Abroad” will be on display through April 27. Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Boulevard. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, call 718-463-7700 or visit www.flushingtownhall.org.X