Artist-in-Residence David Buckley Borden Collaborates with Sasaki
A gallery showing and a fabrication-focused installation are in the works
Feda Eid Showcases REFLECTED in Sasaki’s First-Ever Virtual Gallery
REFLECTED: an exhibition reimagining a future that reflects us all, is a visual story by visual artist and stylist Feda Eid, curated in collaboration with Oh! Art Agency and the Sasaki Gallery. The series foregrounds stunning portraits of Boston’s millennial artists and visionaries against the backdrop of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Eid’s work aims to capture “the often tense but beautiful space between what is said, what is felt, and and what is lost in translation,” according to her bio. “It captures these emotions through her bold use of color, textiles, adornment, and pop culture that reaches back to the past and reflects the present. As the daughter of Lebanese parents who fled the country’s civil war in 1982, she is guided by her family’s American journey and her own childhood growing up as a Muslim in the U.S. She believes in the telling of personal narratives to broaden our perspectives and to ultimately help us feel the universal emotions that connect us all.”
You can visit the virtual gallery here.
If you would like to support the creatives in the series by making a donation, you can do so here.
When Sasaki transitioned to working from home, architectural designer Lucca Townsend and VR specialist David Morgan designed an interactive 3D model of the Sasaki Gallery
A Virtual Opening
All of the rising artists, activists, and organizers featured in the series joined Eid, members of the Sasaki Gallery committee, and Olivia Ives-Flores, the show’s curator, for a lively virtual opening reception. They discussed what inspires their work, the impact of representation in the arts, finding hope in the wake of the pandemic, and more.
Watch the virtual opening below. You can jump to the 3:00 minute mark for the beginning of the conversation.
Artist Statement
From Feda Eid
“As I wandered the halls and rooms at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, I was in awe of the detail and ornate stories Isabella told through a mix of furniture, textiles, and portraiture, some of the many things I use to express through in my own work. As a Muslim and Arab American I noticed the objects that I connected with, sacred books with Arabic text, pillars, tiles, plates and lamps from mosques and ancient structures. I couldn’t help but feel that missing were the diverse faces and voices represented there. I reflected on how the experience of historical museums and institutions can be one of tension for marginalized communities, Black, Indigenous and people of color, who are often excluded, stereotyped, portrayed through an orientalist lens and many times erased all together in spaces like this. As representation of identities continues to be redefined in the present, I wanted these photographs to mirror the diverse and unique expressions of beauty I saw around me in the Boston community and in the visionaries and storytellers of today.
“Throughout the images you will see different aspects of the museum’s interiors framed with the creatives of the present. You’ll see their reflections in mirrors, physically becoming a part of the space, posing in front of draped sculptures and alongside the museum’s many portraits with their Own ornamentation and strength. The aged effects on the photographs were added to mimic old film photographic processes and symbolize that these identities have always been here. The effects also resemble a mirrored reflection adding to the emotion and a reclamation of spaces. Each individual photographed is celebrated as a work of art and the unique embodiment of their own personal history and identity.
Writer, director, and actress Paloma Valenzuela, @iamlagringaloca
Poet Laureate of Boston and educator Porsha Olayiwola, @porshaolayiwola
“As Isabella Stewart Gardner left the museum “for the education and enjoyment of the public forever”, I am grateful I was given the opportunity to continue this tradition through the creation of this series. Growing up I didn’t see much positive representation of many parts of who I was. I share my story and stories like my own in the hope that future generations can see themselves in art and as art. I’m grateful to see it continue to be REFLECTED in more spaces including here at Sasaki. As collective artists and architects we have the power to use the talents we have been given to create lasting change.” – Feda Eid
Producer, and community organizer Chimel Idiokitas, @djrealpÂ
Storyteller and co-founder of The Vanguard, Khanh “Aiden” Nguyễn
Youth and civil rights activist Sumaiya Zama, @sumi4prez