Indefinite Histories

CONTACT

Noe Jimenez
Gallery Curator
NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery
CT State Gateway Campus

203-619-3830

From November 6 – December 29, 2023, the NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery at CT State, Gateway Campus, is proud to present the work of two local artists, Jihyun Lee and Steven Digiovanni, for a two-person exhibition, Indefinite Histories. This exhibition explores memory and storytelling told through the artists’ own narratives and lived experiences. As the title suggests, the artists are using painting and sculpture to reconstruct memories and create new narratives on the passage of time. In this self-reflection, the artists give us a window into their lives and how their experiences shape the images they produce. Lee’s painting, Spinola Hours, is an epic revisioning of pages from the Flemish manuscript by the same name.

Using the illuminated manuscript as infrastructure for her compositions, Lee’s work is a filter of her own making. Her memories overlay art historical and traditional narrative imagery, and a new version of what was, emerges. This idea of personal experience as composition continues with her sculptures, Doll Shelf_Red Scene 2017-2023, Doll Shelf_Hemi, and Doll Shelf_Copenhagen Plates. The two are part of a sculptural series that incorporates Lee’s handmade dolls as vehicles for memories. These dolls come from her mom’s motherhood and son’s childhood. While the practice of doll making in Lee’s family has continued across generations, Lee has only recently started to incorporate these dolls into her work; however, they continue a similar thread previously explored in her practice. Lee’s Red Shelf uses tinted plexiglass to drench her sculptures in a monochromatic haze, similar to the manner we may recall our own memories. Doll Shelf_Hemi, and Doll Shelf_Copenhagen Plates removes the screen and allows the memories to become clearer to us. The foggy perception seen in Doll Shelves_Red Scene 2017-2023 is mimicked in Spinola Hours_ March, April through Lee’s energetic and sporadic mark making.

Digiovanni’s and Lee’s works investigate memories to create their images, and by doing so create space for us to explore our own memories. Digiovanni’s meditative Case File Paintings are part of a current body of work that has changed Digiovanni’s format, tone, and subject matter from what typically has been a large scale and colorful painting practice. In the artists own words: “My father’s forensic photographs were often crudely composed and illuminated with a flash. Subjects included broken stairs, cracked sidewalks, or busy intersections. Each image was imbued with a narrative of misfortune. Collectively they described a world of chaos and human vulnerability and fragility. The paintings are based on recollections of photos taken by him in his investigations.” Digiovanni’s exploration of both memory and the often-overlooked liminal spaces around us, allow us a moment to ponder the present and the passing of time. By using photographic realism painting techniques, Digiovanni captures the mystery of memory, and makes the intangible tactile. This exhibition explores how these two artists have used their memories to build space, environment, and motion. These paintings invite us to imagine how memories can exist beyond the events themselves and remind us to remain present and attentive to the world around us.

Find more of their work on their website: https://stevendigiovanni.crevado.com/ and https://www.jihyunlee.net/

Exhibition Dates: The exhibition runs from November 6 – December 29, 2023

Reception Date: November 16, 2023, from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Address: NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery is located at 20 Church Street in New Haven, CT

Steven Digiovanni, Doormat Jihyun Lee Spinola, March, April