Changing Landscapes
Changing Landscapes zooms into a diverse array of landscapes: some are literal and embedded with rich history and memories, while others are made out of the people that inhabit them, their resilience and everyday lives.
Memory, history, and the passing of time are etched in the colorful and beautiful façade photographs of Peruvian-American Adela Hurtado, which are part of her series The Colors of Trujillo. Her take on this project is deeply personal, Trujillo, Peru, is Hurtado’s parent’s hometown. The artist captures each building facade, before these ancient and historical structures disappear due to decay, natural disasters, the passing of time, or urban development.
This diverse group of artists featured in Changing Landscapes, connect to a greater community by reflecting the amplified effects of existing systemic racism, lack of access to health care, housing, food security and fair labor conditions due to quarantine and social distancing to slow down the spread of COVID-19. The exhibition was originally scheduled to be hosted at the Revival Romanesque Row House Gallery however, due to social distancing measures was transitioned into an interactive online exhibition, maintaining En Foco’s commitment to representing artists, honoring the relationships fostered with local venues, and providing quality arts programming in these trying times.
Memory, history, and the passing of time are etched in the colorful and beautiful façade photographs of Peruvian-American Adela Hurtado, which are part of her series The Colors of Trujillo. Her take on this project is deeply personal, Trujillo, Peru, is Hurtado’s parent’s hometown. The artist captures each building facade, before these ancient and historical structures disappear due to decay, natural disasters, the passing of time, or urban development.
Buy Bye BedStuy by African-American multi-media artist Anders Jones’ presents vibrant photographs that resemble quilts. Recording and documenting buildings, bodegas, and storefronts in Bed-Stuy, a neighborhood that has rapidly gentrified displacing many of its original and long time residents.
Bronx resident, Puerto Rican photographer and DJ, Ignacio Soltero uses drone technology to share bird’s eye views of recognizable recreational spaces in NY where people gather, but from the angle they are taken, become abstractions of grass and man-made structures- where the Human presence is both present and absent.
Born to Vietnamese parents, and living in NY, Cindy Trinh’s images of Chinatowns through the world document Asians in America and abroad, capturing the exchange of commerce, culture, and livelihood of the Asian diaspora. Challenging stereotypes, recent racist attacks and financial setbacks these communities have been facing due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Juanita Lanzo, Curator
Juanita Lanzo has worked in the Bronx for over 20 years as a visual artist, arts administrator, curator, archivist, and art adviser. Her curatorial projects focus on emerging artists of color, the LGBTQ community, women, race, immigration and popular culture in a wide array of media, which she supplements with the addition of by public programs and professional development and advocacy/career sustainable practices for visual artists. She currently works as an Independent Curator for En Foco, and as a teaching artist in NYC. She graduated from City College of NY (MFA-Painting & Printmaking) and University of Puerto Rico (BFA 1996 Printmaking & Drawing). Ms. Lanzo was born in Puerto Rico, works and teaches in the Bronx, and lives in East Harlem, NYC
Set in a Historic and Architectural landmark, this group exhibition investigates and reflects on notions of home (metaphorical and literal), belonging, displacement, street life urban renewal and gentrification and activism. The Revival Romanesque Row House Gallery is part of The East Mott Haven Historic District. One of the oldest row house developments in The Bronx, where the row house typology is rare in comparison to other parts of the city.
