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MEDIA RELEASE
“As it is to be,” an exhibition of recent work by mixed media/interdisciplinary artist Victoria Mercedes Arriola-Monaci, hosted by the South Pasadena Arts Council, is slated to open January 15, 2022, at the SPARC Gallery in South Pasadena with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m.
Arriola-Monaci, who heads independent visual communications studio Arriola Creative, describes her featured work as “part assemblage art, part photographic still life. Relic-like reminders of the fragile nature of human existence. An ongoing tribute to women I have known.”
Arriola-Monaci says that she first envisioned this ongoing series during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, when she began photographing decaying plant material in her kitchen sink. Shot at various times of the day and printed on soft fibrous paper, “the resulting pictures are a celebration of nature’s continuities, as well as a stark reminder of life’s inevitable losses. Like intimate portraits, they provide a window into the soul, revealing the heart’s innate desire to hold on to what it has lost.”
“As it is to be” will run through March 12, 2022. Admission is free. Operated by the South Pasadena Arts Council, the SPARC Gallery is located inside the Chamber of Commerce at 1121 Mission St., South Pasadena. Please note: proof of vaccination status and masks will be required in adherence to Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
Following the January 15 opening, SPARC Gallery hours will vary. To schedule a visit, contact Blue Trimarchi at (626) 676-4195.
Founded as a grassroots effort in 2009, the South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that develops educational and public arts programs, creates interactive projects, and collaborates with other organizations in the City of South Pasadena and the surrounding Los Angeles area to foster and produce cultural events featuring the visual, performing, literary and media arts. SPARC is open to people in all the creative fields, art appreciators, art patrons, educators, and any others interested in helping the arts thrive in South Pasadena and neighboring communities. Information:https://www.sopasartscouncil.org/
