In this piece, titled ‘We Shall Overcome, No. 2’ artist Christina Galbiati displayed the phrase as ‘We shal LOVE rcome,’ expressing a hope for ‘the positive energy and reflection we must do as a society on a whole, in order to emerge from this very disturbing time.
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It’s all part of 4-woman art exhibit, called ‘Fortitude’
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Describing her abstract work, artist Christina Galbiati of Hazleton said, it’s ‘a more fun and energetic experience, a break from the serious subjects of my socio-political work.’
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‘Just stay calm. It will go away.’ Those words may sound reassuring, but when applied to the coronavirus pandemic, artist Christina Galbiati said called them ‘clear propaganda’ and ’unconscionable.’ Her piece, called ‘Liar, Liar’ is ‘exposing the the disinformation and lack of preparation of the Covid-19 response coming from the White House.’
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Christina Galbiati
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D.W. Yorkonis
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The ‘Patriotic Dog’ is an example of the Brandi Merolla’s pieces that are based on traditional tattoos from the 1940s and earlier.
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‘I love the purity of the art form,’ said artist Brandi Merolla, whose tattoo art is based on old-time tattoos, such as this vintage portrait of Pop-Eye the Sailor.
‘Peacock Woman’ is an example of tattoo art that Brandi Merolla has blown up to many times its original size. ‘I stay true to these primitive line drawings and make them larger than life just as they are remembered historically,’ she wrote in her artist statement. ‘My reverence for these original designs explains the scale shift.’
Brandi Merolla
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H. W. Yorkonis, a Scranton native now living in Avoca, has contributed this image of a Woman Warrior, titled ‘Resist’ to the ‘Fortitude’ exhibit.
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‘Rape CULTure’ is a protest against abuse, which artist H. W. Yorkonis has contributed to the show.
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In H. W. Yorkonis’ piece, ‘Contact,’ which she painted during the coronvirus shutdown earlier this year, the turquoise symbolizes safety; the more fiery colors symbolize a longing for the warmth and light of being with family.
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“Just stay calm. It will go away.”
Hazleton artist Christina Galbiati took those words, which President Donald Trump said earlier this year about the coronavirus, placed them against a vivid red and yellow background that spirals into a pit, and called the resulting artwork “Liar, Liar.”
“Words matter,” she said in a recent telephone interview, days before an exhibit called “Fortitude,” which will feature her work and the work of three other artists, is set to open at the Artists For Art Gallery in Scranton.
“In this digital age I feel a sense of urgency to create a tangible record of words,” she said, explaining she does that by photocopying them in different fonts and making collages.
“Sometimes I take a stance; sometimes I’m more left leaning,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a question I’m posing; my intention is to invite the viewer to question the topic.”
For a large-scale, 40 x 40-inch piece called “We Shall Overcome,” she explained, “I’m pulling words from the internet and I’m repeating them. My goal is to highlight all the words that our president has said.”
Yes, this time she’s taking a stance.
“It’s ugly, it’s chaotic and it’s representative of all that we’ve been going through,” she described the piece, which includes various headlines, sentence fragments and phrases people will probably recognize, among them “a very stable genius,” “drain the (swamp)” and “(gra)b ‘em by the pussy.”
Few would argue that last comment reflects a lack of respect for women, a sentiment against which artist H. W. Yorkonis of Avoca takes aim in pieces called “Resist” and “Rape CULTure.”
“I really fight for women’s rights,” saidYorkonis, whose work will also be part of the “Fortitude” exhibit. “Sometimes I feel I have a difficult time talking about them, but I can paint about them and talk about the paintings, and that makes it easier.”
Among the pieces she will display at the exhibit are “Resist,” a mixed media piece that depicts “a Woman Warrior; she’s a survivor of domestic abuse and she’s here to fight for other people who are abused,” the artist said.
In the piece she calls “Rape CULTure,” Yorkonis said, “there are two women, and they’re hung by different items. One has a mirror over her face so you can see yourself in it, knowing you’re part of the culture. We’re all affected by it. Whether we’re victimized or not, chances are we know someone who has been.”
Two other pieces, called “Isolation” and “Contact” are paintings Yorkonis was inspired to create this spring, when she missed spending time with friends and family, made do with a “Zoom Easter” and longed to visit New York City.
” ‘Isolation’ is a very large painting, 36 x 36,” she said. When you see it, your eyes will be drawn to a diagonal line. Under the line, in the backdrop are pictures of city streets and city blocks, park benches. I really wanted to go to the city, I was literally planning to go to New York City when the lockdown started. I havn’t been there since the virus hit.”
“But there’s a little corner of the painting where the green and beige represent nature and outside. It’s when they started to say, ‘Oh, you can go for walks.’ You can see a glimmer of hope i;n that corner of the painting.”
“Contact,” which Yorkonis has paired with “Isolation,” is a painting she describes as “a little bit brighter” with red orange representing “the warmth and light of wanting to be with your family” and turquoise representing the safety of being inside.
Rounding out the works in the “Fortitude” show are Monica Noelle (sorry; we weren’t able to reach her for an interview) and Brandi Merolla.
Merolla, who lives just 15 miles from Honesdale in Narrowsburg, N.Y., is no stranger to controversial subjects — she describes being taken to marches and protests in New York City and Washington, D.C. as a child, and her “frack art” has been shown around the world — but she’s bringing something she sees as purely fun to Scranton.
“I have taken traditional tattoo designs from the 1940s and older and blew them up, large scale,” she said, explaining how displaying them on Fome-Cor material makes them three-dimensional. “The originals are typically about 2 inches tall, and I go up to 4 feet.”
“I’m a big fan of traditional tattoos,” she said, describing some of the categories as romantic imagery, patriotic imagery, animals, nautical and religious symbols and even early Pop-Eye cartoons.
“I love the purity of the art form; it’s like folk art, and folk art speaks for itself. It’s very basic and pure,” she said, adding she has “a moderate amount, not head to toe” of tattoos on her own body.
An opening reception for the “Fortitude” exhibit is planned for 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the Artists for Art Gallery, 101 Penn Ave., Scranton. The exhibit will remain on display through Oct. 31. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.