Kiana Honarmand, On Edge (2017), Installation: CNC machined MDF panels, steel, light, and shadows
As individuals, we tend to move through life as if we are the main character; going about our days with ourselves at the front of our minds. We know ourselves best. But what happens when we take a moment to pause and listen to our neighbor? How can someone else’s story help us unpack our own? Turning our stories into collective experiences and feelings allows us to heal both individually and as a community. The familiarity we know in ourselves is found in others, each of us working through unfamiliar transitions and moving beyond our comfort zones. Each of us is working to become more connected—familiar with the unfamiliar.
Opening with a special feature, On Edge, in NUMU’s Spotlight Gallery from June 2 through October 1, and the Main Gallery from July 14 through November 5, 2023, NUMU is excited to present (Un)familiar, an exhibition guest-curated by Alyssarhaye Graciano. The three featured artists, Jezrael Gandara, Kiana Honarmand, and Chelsea Stewart, will uncover our biases and assumptions around various stigmas including the immigrant perspective, women’s rights, and mental health. Through film, photography, the written word, sculpture, and mixed media collage, each artist uplifts their communities’ various perspectives and experiences. These intimate stories provide a community dialogue that is an opportunity to share healing, relate to one another, and care for the underrepresented.
Chelsea Stewart, Untitled (Opening Up), (2021), Acrylic and paper on wood panel
Warning: This exhibition contains some imagery that may cause discomfort and/or seizures for those with photosensitive epilepsy. Visitor discretion is advised.
Jezrael Gandara, Chilindrina (2023), Film Frame
About the Artists
Photographer: The Cultivator (Daniel Garcia)
Photographer: The Cultivator (Daniel Garcia)
Kiana Honarmand
Kiana Honarmand is an artist born and raised in Iran. Her work addresses issues related to her cultural identity, violation of women's rights in Iran, censorship, surveillance, and the Western perception of her SWANA (South West Asian, North African) identity. She currently lives and works in the Bay Area.
Photographer: The Cultivator (Daniel Garcia)
Chelsea Stewart
Chelsea Stewart is based in San Mateo County, CA. Stewart is currently attending San Jose State while working towards her MFA in Spatial Arts. Through exploration of mass and scale, geological subjects, and mental health, Stewart constructs large-scale abstract paintings and paper installations. The relationships between feeling grounded, the action of erosion, and the human body and mind form the fundamentals of her work.
About the Curator
Alyssarhaye Graciano
Alyssarhaye is a practicing textile artist, published author, and community curator. Her curatorial practice has focused on emerging and established artists of color, uplifting untold stories, and artistic expressions. An experienced arts administrator, she is currently the Visual Arts Curator at MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana) and has held positions at Silicon Valley Creates and New Museum Los Gatos and ran a small business, @BlackSheepMade, offering textile workshops and selling her art. Alyssarhaye’s artwork focuses on using fiber to challenge the traditional ideologies around textiles and had been exhibited in the West Coast and Japan. Her DIY book, Chunky Knits: Cozy Hats, Scarves and More Made Simple with Extra-Large Yarn, published in January 2020, highlights a modern take on knitting in efforts to challenge the stereotype of “who knits.”
Photographer: Kenny Hamlett
As an arts advocate, she volunteers on the GenArts Steering Committee, writes for Content Magazine, and is currently in the Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute (MALI), Class 14. Born and raised in San José, Alyssarhaye is trilingual with a BA in Languages and Literature with an emphasis in Spanish and French from the University of California, Riverside.
(Un)Familiar is generously supported by the Borgenicht Foundation.
