TALISMÁN

November 02 - December 02, 2023
Opening Reception / Thursday, November 02, 5–8pm

Winter Gallery Hours:
Friday–Sunday, 11am–4pm

Elizabeth Calvillo Dueñas
Camilo Gonzalez Barragán
Hugo Ivan Juarez (Alatorre)

This exhibition gathers the culminating thoughts of three artists who began a conversation over dinner in one of the most energetic cities in the world. Our thinking derived from the idea of Talismans as objects that can carry good or bad intent. In that framework we were led to questions of ancestry, matriarchy, land, home, migration, and family. The artists ended up working with multiple forms of natural materials which include silk, pressed flowers, rocks, wood, bark paper, and found materials.

There is one artist who finds that the ultimate life is found by caring for small creatures. 

There is a second artist who expertly finds opportunities to stop time with light.

There is a third artist who recently decided to quit the art world for love.

ARTIST BIOS //

Elizabeth Calvillo Dueñas

I was born to a family of corn and bean farmers in a small village, La Yerbabuena (“Spearmint”), in Michoacán (“Place of the Fishermen”), México. I majored in International Studies with a focus in international human rights, and Photo/Media. My interests have focused on migration and diaspora studies, global economic relations, and access to education, law, and physical essential commodities.

Nací en una familia de agricultores de maíz y frijoles en un pequeño pueblo, La Yerbabuena, en Michoacán (“lugar de los pescadores”), México. Me especialicé en Estudios Internacionales con un enfoque en derechos humanos internacionales y Fotografía / Medios. Mis intereses se han centrado en la migración y los estudios de la diáspora, las relaciones económicas mundiales y el acceso a la educación, la ley y los productos físicos esenciales.

Camilo Gonzalez Barragán (he/him) is an artist from Bogotá, Colombia, where he studied film and television production at the UNITEC University of Colombia. He uses analog photography to develop his ideas and share his stories while simultaneously creating longform audiovisual projects. Gonzalez Barragan draws inspiration from film, music, and painting, using elements from these media to create work rooted in his personal experiences and dreams. Themes explored in his work include: melancholy, nostalgia, freedom, silence, loneliness, and forgetfulness. Gonzalez Barragan’s work has been published in magazines including The Paradox Magazine and Classics Magazine, and in exhibitions at Hardy & Nance Studio and the Cleveland Print Room. He currently lives and works in Cleveland, OH, where he has found inspiration in the magic of its forests, streets, and people.

Hugo Ivan Juarez (Alatorre) (he/him) was born and raised in his beloved Dallas, TX. H grew up with children of millionaires but mostly identifies with immigrant culture and brownness. While in high school, art class became his sanctuary and upon graduating, he created a clothing line to further harness his creative energy. These initial interests led him to study graphic design and art education, but he eventually discovered the wonderful world of printmaking. Printmaking became a vehicle for his education and in 2022, he began his academic career as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Akron. Juarez believes that artists are the most powerful people in the world and his practice consists of making friends, supporting other artists, and searching for teachers. His work manifests itself through conversation, infiltration, and teaching. Materially, he works with anything he can get his hands on.