Space is the Place

Tierra del Sol Gallery presents “Space is the Place” A Group Exhibition Curated by Alison Saar

September 9 – October 28, 2023

Tierra del Sol Gallery is proud to present Space is the Place, a group exhibition curated by Los Angeles-based artist Alison Saar. This is Saar’s first guest curator project with the gallery, and she has selected works by 19 artists from the Sunland and Upland studios.

Space is the Place is an iconic, Afrofuturist film and album by legendary Sun Ra. Saar’s work, while grounded in history, leans toward the cosmic and ethereal to investigate through lines of identity and place. She is influenced by Sun Ra’s music and celestial imagery, noting his defining quip “I dared to knock at the door of the cosmos.” She uses that vision as a curatorial portal for this exhibition and in her encounters with Tierra artists.

Saar is a multi-media artist who uses whatever tools and materials she needs to build her visual language. Similarly, for this exhibition, she brings into conversation a diverse selection of vibrantly colored paintings, drawings, tapestry, sculptures and assemblages that focus on galactic and earthly landscapes, as well as strong figures and structures that speak to dimensionality and movement. The otherworldliness of nearly 50 thematic works by 19 artists feels like vibing with something greater than the combination of artists, intentions and materials. Together these works are an experience with the speculative, an immersive journey through time and space where the perspective is as much about a willingness to be in the fullness of the moment as an aesthetic point of view. (Continued)

The journey is symbolic for Tierra del Sol Gallery, as Alison Saar’s Space in the Place is the last exhibition in the Chinatown gallery. The new location on Santa Monica Boulevard is an amalgamation of history, movement and visual theatre. Space in the Place expands Tierra’s geographic and demographic terrain and highlights the organization vision and momentum to recognize that regardless of disability or ability, all people can live lives of meaning and creativity to contribute to the greater good.

Space in the Place is on view September 9 – October 28, 2023. Please join us for an opening celebration on Saturday, September 9, from 6-9 pm.

Space is the Place Artists:

Leul Asfaw, Kevin Bermudez, John Boyer, Justin Braden, Patrick Dwyer, Chloe Isiah, Manuel Guerrero, Kyle Johnson, Tonmoy Khan, Thomas Lamb, Chelsea Lenninger, Ericka Lopez, Eric Lue, Dru McKenzie, John Peterson, Jeffrey Rinsky, Victor Rivera, Alex Trim, Isabel Vartanian