By Tammy Scileppi
What would an artless Queens look like?
Not a pretty picture, most likely. Luckily, the borough has been blessed with plenty of talented and diverse artists eager to share their creations with the public. Many are still calling Long Island City home.
So, go ahead and take time to enjoy their incredible creative offerings this holiday season. If you haven’t already, get on over to Long Island City, where you’ll discover a cornucopia of creativity by local talent and emerging artists from every borough — everything from painting and photography to sculpture installation and video — displayed in a traditional salon style.
LIC Arts Open’s Third Annual Fall Salon and Open Studios welcomes art lovers to meet the artists and take in two amazing exhibitions at the Raw Space and LIC Arts Open Galleries at The Factory LIC — located at 30–30 47th Ave.
LIC Arts Open Executive Director Richard Mazda curated the show, which runs through Jan. 4.
“The salon exhibition is spread between two large galleries in the iconic Factory Building. The current shows feature a large selection of works by 76 artists,” Mazda said. “Combined with the artists showing at The Plaxall Gallery, this year’s Fall Salon features over 150 artists, many of whom are showing at least two pieces each.”
For the past 25 years, creative Jorge Posada has been making masterpieces from his Long Island City studio and sharing his work with art lovers. You can meet him and view his pieces at The Factory LIC until Jan. 4. He opens his studio to the general public twice a year as part of the LIC Arts Open and also presents exhibitions on a regular basis during the year.
“I am excited about the opportunity to show my artwork with the intention to reach out not only to people in the art world but also the general public. I want to make spectators aware of the presence of art and artists in their community. Also, it is a great opportunity to establish a dialogue about what I want to communicate with my work as an artist,” Posada said.
Posada, 64, has shown his work at The Plaxall Gallery in the past and has exhibited his artwork in several galleries and alternative spaces, not only in Queens and New York City, but also In Europe and Latin America. His pieces were also featured in a selection of art shows that included the Queens Public Library (solo show), Queens Theater, Flushing Town Hall, and City Corp. (showcase windows).
Another local artist, Asano Agarie-Gomez, is presenting her unique creations, titled “Rock, Paper, Scissor, A Group Exhibition” at The Plaxall Gallery.
In a statement on her website, she writes: “Although people often hide their dark side, it is not separate from the public persona, they are mutually influential and part of the whole. My work expresses the darkness within people which usually remains hidden. Everyone keeps aspects of their personality and experience concealed, I bring these areas to light and ask the viewer to examine those aspects within themselves based upon my personal understanding of human existence.”
“Art is a powerful tool that allows me to express the totality of my being. By allowing the viewer to glimpse hidden aspects of my personality, I ask them to release their own into the conversation, to hear it,” the artist added. “It is only by integrating all aspects of the self that we can begin to understand and truly express it.”
