Reimagining History

Exhibition Dates: May 20 – June 25, 2023
Sandow Birk, Juror

The idea of reimagining history is not new in the world of art and literature. The works of artists such as Robert Colescott, Cindy Sherman, and Enrique Chagoya examine issues of race, gender, ethnicity, and political identity through their visual retelling of iconic images and historical figures. In literature, examples span from Herodotus’ The Histories in 440 BC to Tolstoy’s War and Peace to the contemporary Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Arts Benicia, a non-profit art center in Benicia, CA, is inviting artists to submit artworks that reimagine and reconsider histories, be it of a personal nature or global scope.

View the exhibition.

Important dates:

Preview for Members & Exhibiting Artists: Thursday, May 18, 6 – 7 pm
Public Reception: Saturday, May 20, 4 – 6 pm
Family Art Day, June 4, 1 – 3 pm

Artwork: From Crispus Attucks to George Floyd by Sandow Birk, 2022
Courtesy of Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco

About the Juror: Los Angeles artist Sandow Birk is a graduate of the Otis/Parson’s Art Institute. His work has dealt with contemporary life in its entirety. Past themes have included inner city violence, graffiti, various political issues, war, prisons, surfing, and skateboarding while recent projects have dealt with police violence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Holy Qur’an. He is the recipient of many awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright scholarship to Brazil. Sandow is represented by the Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, Track 16 Gallery in Los Angeles, and Koplin del Rio Gallery in Seattle.

EXHIBITION LOCATION:

Arts Benicia, 1 Commandant’s Lane, Commanding Officer’s Quarters, Benicia, CA 94510

This exhibition is sponsored in part by Happy Life Pottery and by Amports. Family Art Day is sponsored in part by Metlsaw

OPPORTUNITIES for ARTISTS

FROM THE ARCHIVES