EXHIBITION: "44: not dead, just invisible"

115 North Orange Street,Orange CA 92866

04 September, 2021

Description

Thea Pueschel addresses the psychosocial impact of the invisibility that comes with age from a feminist perspective. Thea Pueschel (xe/she) is a nonbinary writer and multimedia artist. Pueschel’s exhibition of "44: not dead, just invisible" addresses the psychosocial impact of the invisibility that comes with age from a feminist perspective. Once beyond the ingenue, those in perceived feminine form are supposed to become mother and fade into the background dissolving as crone. Still vibrant, sensual, expressive, and filled with life many women and non-binary folx feel a loss of identity and value. Through playing with the concept of invisibility the audience is invited to explore awareness through visual textures, and hidden elements. The work in "44: not dead, just invisible" uses the lens of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development, particularly the Generativity vs. Stagnation stage of middle adulthood. It examines the human desire to continue to create or nurture beyond self. It also plays with the perceived limitation of those who opt out of mother and how to reclaim visibility. The tryptic “The Four Sisters: Yin, Yawn, Yang and Who” represents xyr own disappearance within the hierarchy of family by not procreating, thus challenging the idea that the lack of progeny results in shallow involvement with the world. Erikson’s stages have had a broad influence on xyr work in the visual and literary arts. With curiosity, xe uses it as a tool to investigate the complex nature of human relationships and visible engagement with the world. Art of yore and much of contemporary tends to capture the female form in its nubile state in the amber of societal standards. As art has shifted from the hands of masters to the creatively curious, social media has offered alternate forms of beauty and appreciation. The reflection of womanhood has shifted as has the binary, age is a number and with accessibility and voice new stories can emerge visually and in written form. Pueschel’s work is a part of the bigger collective conscious, the conversations that were once hidden in private or inner monologue are making their way out to the open for a cultural shift to manifest. In the painting “Iseult & Gilda: Ingenue, Mother and Crone” xe toys with the current shift. Pueschel’s mixed media work plays with expected and unexpected mediums from found objects to linocuts, Cel-Vinyl to acrylics and beyond. Each piece takes up three-dimensional space beyond the two dimensions of the flat canvas. The work tears away and builds upon itself, assertively asking the viewer to be seen and at times demanding it. All work was created from 2019-2020. An audio component playlist of invisible voices will be played the opening night of the "44: not dead, just invisible" exhibition. The HypnoArt interactive workshop of creating art in trance will be available on Zoom September 18th 10am PDT. Dedicated to community building, our mission as a nonprofit organization is to provide our diverse neighborhoods with creative and cultural opportunities. We accomplish these objectives through three divisions: Past Forward, Public Podcasting, and Without Books®. Please email (heritagefuture.org/contact) as soon as possible with any questions or specific accommodation requests. For more information please visit heritagefuture.org/accessibility.