Super Secret Projects presents Solastagia, the debut solo exhibition by Kohar Minassian, showcasing the artist’s exploration of analog photography processes, including cyanotypes, anthotype and lumen prints. The opening reception is on August 10 from 6-9 p.m. at Super Secret Projects, 484 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508. Solastagia will be on view in the gallery from August 10-September 8, 2024.
The term “solastagia” describes the feeling at the intersection of eco-anxiety and homesickness — a feeling of longing for home while we are still at home. Excavating symbols from Armenian mythologies and proverbs, forms from heirlooms and imagined landscapes of liberation, Solastagia interrogates this feeling in diaspora, when the observation of environmental degradation on one’s ancestral lands is compounded by the political erasure of its guardians still present on its soil. Using alternative camera-less photography techniques that harness the sun’s light to create images, the work in Solastagia represents a collaboration between the artist and her environment. They are images that are created, not taken.
All proceeds from this show will be directed to Armenian and Palestinian aid organizations of the artist’s choosing dedicated to environmental sovereignty, including efforts to build greenhouses for farmers displaced from Artsakh, Armenia Tree Project and PCRF.
Kohar Minassian is a multidisciplinary artist, working primarily in video and alternative photography methods. Her work explores the relationships between environmental changes, political power and the diasporic experience. Minassian’s process is informed by the intersections of art and science; through a collaboration with natural elements, especially the sun, she creates images that examine the shifts in her cultural and physical worlds. Minassian worked in digital media (HuffPost, NowThis, Mic) before working in politics as a video producer with Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign, and then with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2020-22 congressional campaigns. She is currently a senior multimedia producer at the ACLU. Minassian grew up in the Golden State and was based in Brooklyn before moving to Beacon, where she currently lives and works.
Super Secret Projects is an artist-run initiative created to foster community and facilitate opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists to collaborate, experiment and share their work. Exhibits are on view seven days a week from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. with new local artists showing every month. Super Secret Projects is located in the newly-renovated gallery space directly behind Hyperbole. This collective was founded by the owners of Hyperbole, Andrea Podob and Carolyn Baccaro, and artist Diana Vidal. Podob and Baccaro have championed local artists since the opening of their shop, with a mission of curating a fun and accessible collection of artwork, clothing and jewelry while connecting new, emerging artists with a larger audience. Vidal has a background in curation and producing art related projects.
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