Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) 2021 Fall Exhibition!

 

CoCA EXHIBITION PRESS RELEASE  August 16, 2021 View this email in your browser CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY ART (CoCA)  PRESENTS TELL MORE II SEATTLE, WA  - The Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) is pleased to present Tell More II (September 9 - October 23, 2021), a solo exhibition by Rajaa Gharbi. A celebration of this exhibition will be hosted on-site at the CoCA gallery on October 7, 2021 from 5-8 PM PST in conjunction with Pioneer Square Art Walk.  Gharbi merges the findings of her socio-linguistic excavations into languages—the Arab, Amazigh and others—with calligraphy to create a lush palette of reds, blues, purples and golds. These compositions tell stories that return the potency and possibilities of  language, literally and metaphorically, to the people. Her paintings are a visual poetry that offer the viewer entry into the social and artistic realities of the places she calls home without deciding for them what they must see. Gharbi’s paintings continue discourses that commenced centuries ago in temples, casbahs, and universities and remind us that to deal with history one must be willing to both implicate themselves within it and also problematize it. As Gharbi so eloquently relays in her paintings and in her poetry: "the work will reveal its joys and hidden friends." Rajaa Gharbi is an international multi-disciplinary artist, and poet. She trained and worked for seven years as a multimedia artist with the OTEMA (Organization Nationale de Theatre de Marionnettes) of Tunisia where she was born and raised, and performed in prestigious as well as neighborhood theaters since early adolescence. After experimenting with costume design with Swiss-German filmmaker Daniel Schmidt in 1982 in Morocco, Gharbi established herself in the US as a painter and poet. She continued to develop her art practice while pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in Applied Communication/Fine Art and Filmmaking from Evergreen State College and Antioch University. As of this date, CoCA is open to the public Thursday through Saturday from 11am - 4pm and continues to observe COVID-19 safety precautions.  Individual press tours can be scheduled by contacting Negarra A. Kudumu, CoCA Curator, at negarra@cocaseattle.org. Download the Press Release PDF Download Press Images (72 dpi*): Rajaa Gharbi, "On a Ride to ..." (2019), Acrylic on Stretched canvas, 36" x 48"; Rajaa Gharbi, "Cauldron Delight I" Acrylic and cracked olive pits on parchment paper; Rajaa Gharbi, "In-Sights", Acrylics on paper on board; Rajaa Gharbi, "An Alhambra Afterglow," (2019) Acrylic on canvas 36"x 48" Print press images (300 dpi) available upon request. CoCA serves the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of contemporary art. CoCA, at 40 years, is a vital part of the contemporary art community. It has Allyships with BIPoC arts nonprofits that connect underrepresented artists to create sustainable pro-equity spaces for artistic expression. CoCA supports a fully empowered creative life for all people. This exhibition is made possible with support from ArtsWA, Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, 4Culture, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Edwards Mother Earth Foundation. ### Images: Rajaa Gharbi, "On a Ride to ..." (2019), Acrylic on Stretched canvas, 36" x 48"; Rajaa Gharbi, "Cauldron  Delight I" Acrylic and cracked olive pits on parchment paper; Rajaa Gharbi, "In-Sights," Acrylics on paper on board; Rajaa Gharbi, "An Alhambra Afterglow," (2019) Acrylic on canvas 36"x 48" Copyright © 2020 Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up at our website or at a gallery, responded to a call for artists, interns or volunteers, or made a purchase from us. Our mailing address is: Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) 114 Third Ave S Seattle, WA 98104