Seeing The Self: An Artist Talk and Closing Panel
Moderated by Las Doctoras
Thursday, May 16 | 7 pm
From exploring themes of cultural heritage and ancestral lineage to grappling with questions of self-acceptance and belonging, "Seeing The Self" has served as a catalyst for profound dialogue and reflection. Through their artwork, artists have not only captured their own essence but have also invited viewers to engage in a deeper exploration of the complexities of identity and representation.
Moderated by Las Doctoras
Thursday, May 16 | 7 pm
From exploring themes of cultural heritage and ancestral lineage to grappling with questions of self-acceptance and belonging, "Seeing The Self" has served as a catalyst for profound dialogue and reflection. Through their artwork, artists have not only captured their own essence but have also invited viewers to engage in a deeper exploration of the complexities of identity and representation.
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Las Doctoras
Together Dr. Renee Lemus and Dr. Cristina Rose as Las Doctoras are acclaimed professors, podcasters, writers, and Latina thought leaders. Along with producing their nationally recognized Las Doctoras Podcast they also host a book club, offer writing courses for grad students, publish an online magazine titled Saint Lunita and most recently produce two other podcasts. "Our liberation magic, a mix of Merlin, Walter Mercado and Frida, seeks to create revolutionary spaces both inside and outside the walls of the Ivory tower to heal from the generational trauma of white supremacist, patriarchal capitalism, while living into liberating practices. We make this magic as an offering to our ancestors, to those who will come after us, and for the change we wish to see in the world." |
Participating Panelists:
Cinthya Silverstein, Cultural Programs Director, Sovern
Cinthya Silverstein is a Mexican immigrant and visual activist whose work is deeply rooted in photography as a tool for the analysis of visual culture. Her work reflects a lived, intersectional experience that recognizes images as a social instrument that’s been used to reinforce race-making in the United States. Her degree in Anthropology and continued education in Visual Studies have honed her ability to critically observe and question the motives behind representations of minoritized bodies. Working in the tradition of documentary reportage, her work serves as a relational tool, inviting the viewer to connect with those portrayed as a way to evoke empathy and understanding while also questioning their own biases and preconceptions.
Cinthya Silverstein is a Mexican immigrant and visual activist whose work is deeply rooted in photography as a tool for the analysis of visual culture. Her work reflects a lived, intersectional experience that recognizes images as a social instrument that’s been used to reinforce race-making in the United States. Her degree in Anthropology and continued education in Visual Studies have honed her ability to critically observe and question the motives behind representations of minoritized bodies. Working in the tradition of documentary reportage, her work serves as a relational tool, inviting the viewer to connect with those portrayed as a way to evoke empathy and understanding while also questioning their own biases and preconceptions.
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Amber Salik, Exhibiting Artist
Amber Nicole (b. 1996) is a Los Angeles-based creative who uses photography and narrative medicine to delve into the complexities of identity and (be)longing. Trained as an Expressive Arts Therapist, her work seeks to portray how we experience, understand, navigate, embody, and accept (or reject) all the spaces in-between - physical locations, versions of self, intersectional identities, temporary phases and other transitory moments in time - by weaving together the threads of storytelling, psychology, self-discovery, and creative coping. Her notable projects include "Who TF I Am," a multimedia exploration of the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and disability through the metaphor of mosaic imagery, and "Gradually, then Suddenly," a photographic meditation on grief, family ties, dementia, and the loss of identity. Amber's work has been previously showcased in numerous venues and publications, such as NYU Gallatin Galleries, Skew Magazine, Confluence Mag, Level Ground Art Collective, Los Angeles Center of Photography x Sovern and Adolescent Content, among others. |
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Leah King, Exhibiting Artist
Leah King is an artist, musician, and educator based in Los Angeles. She creates audio installations and interactive visual art works that explore race, gender, power, and queerness through a futurist lens. By incorporating archival photos and first-hand interviews, her layered collages and soundscapes feature historical references, religious texts, layered vocal harmonies, and original electronic music to create abstracted methods of storytelling. King has been a Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Political Power Fellow, Converse Berlin Rubber Tracks Artist Resident, and was the inaugural artist-in-residence at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum. Her work has been supported by Brooklyn Arts Council, New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Berlin Music Board, Museum of the African Diaspora, Center for Cultural Innovation, and Headlands Center for the Arts. |
Full list of Artists featured in "Seeing the Self"
Onyinye Alheri, Brittany Alston, Lemia Bodden, Lisa Brown, Stephanie Brown, Antoinette Cooper, Ana Fletcher, KaVozia Glynn, Alexxis Gonzalez, Savannah Jackson, Alexis Joseph, Leah King, Doan Lai, Lanny Li, Quristal Lopez, Erika Morillo, Rosalyn Myles, Jasmine Rutledge, Aurelia Santos, Christina Tajalli, Bria Thompson, Elizabeth Truong, Erica Waddy, Ciel Wang, Vanessa Williams, Sharon Wu
Juror & Curator
Kawai Matthews – Director, Photographer and LACP Instructor.
If you'd like to donate to Sovern in support of programming like this, please click HERE.
Onyinye Alheri, Brittany Alston, Lemia Bodden, Lisa Brown, Stephanie Brown, Antoinette Cooper, Ana Fletcher, KaVozia Glynn, Alexxis Gonzalez, Savannah Jackson, Alexis Joseph, Leah King, Doan Lai, Lanny Li, Quristal Lopez, Erika Morillo, Rosalyn Myles, Jasmine Rutledge, Aurelia Santos, Christina Tajalli, Bria Thompson, Elizabeth Truong, Erica Waddy, Ciel Wang, Vanessa Williams, Sharon Wu
Juror & Curator
Kawai Matthews – Director, Photographer and LACP Instructor.
If you'd like to donate to Sovern in support of programming like this, please click HERE.
Sovern LA is a nonprofit intersectional community center and gallery, located in LA’s West Adams district, focused on supporting Black and Indigenous women and gender expansive people of color. Fueled by a passion for justice, equality and creative expression, our organization is driven by the collective determination to center healing justice, challenge systemic barriers, empower artists of color and amplify their impact for collective wellbeing. By building a community that uplifts and celebrates diverse voices, we aim to reshape the art world in Los Angeles and beyond, creating a more inclusive and equitable space where artists and communities can thrive together.
LACP is a crucible that forges creative vision, insight, and experimentation into a vibrant photographic community that expresses the cultural and artistic crosscurrents that are the essence of Los Angeles. For over two decades, LACP, a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, has been supporting, mentoring and promoting visual storytellers on their creative journeys, at all stages of life and career. Each year, LACP programs, organizes and offers the wider public over 150 exhibitions, classes, workshops, public programs, reviews and events each year, both online and in-person.
LACP is a crucible that forges creative vision, insight, and experimentation into a vibrant photographic community that expresses the cultural and artistic crosscurrents that are the essence of Los Angeles. For over two decades, LACP, a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, has been supporting, mentoring and promoting visual storytellers on their creative journeys, at all stages of life and career. Each year, LACP programs, organizes and offers the wider public over 150 exhibitions, classes, workshops, public programs, reviews and events each year, both online and in-person.
