Opening + Artist Talk: Kelly Tapìa-Chuning & Bianca Velasquez: Sangre Mía

Material, in collaboration with 801 Salon, is thrilled to present the exhibition Sangre Mía with artists Bianca Velasquez and Kelly Tapìa-Chuning opening November 11, 2023. This textile-based exhibition about reclaimed ancestry, cultural assimilation and identity features the serape and text art of Tapìa-Chuning and pictorial beadwork of Velasquez.

Using blood as both a metaphorical and literal starting point, Sangre Mía explores reclamation of self-hood and ancestry through the process of handwork. Velasquez and Tapìa-Chuning explain Sangre Mía is a declaration of the artists’ pursuit to reclaim a more direct and authentic relationship with their heritage. Through Tapìa-Chuning’s textile work and Velasquez’s beadwork the artists seek to make sense of the past by working with their hands, crafting tangible pieces that physically reconnect them to the intangible threads of their lineage. Sangre Mía is a testament to the unexpected alliances forged in the pursuit of cultural reclamation. It is a journey of tracing the way back, following the process of erasure and reimagining the narrative.

Please join us for the following events on November 11, 2023:
5 pm: exhibition preview
5:30 pm: artist talk moderated by Roxanne Gray of 801 Salon
6-9 pm: public reception

The exhibition will also be available for viewing on Friday, November 17 from 6-8 pm as part of Gallery Stroll, during the closing reception on Friday, December 15, from 6-9 pm, and by appointment. The artists will be in attendance for the opening of the exhibition.