A Few Words From Our Director, Anefertiti Bowman:
2022 has flown by, marking it a transformative and transitional time for SoLA Contemporary. Just over a year ago, March of 2021, I was asked to take on my current role as SoLA Contemporary’s Executive Director. Given the uncertainty of the world and the evolving state of our organization, I saw this as an opportunity to reimagine SoLA and strengthen our relationship to our community. Our Board members, the SoLA team, community members, and artists entrusted me with this monumental task. The weight of the responsibility was not lost on me. I took it on with gratitude and in humble service.
This period of transition has pushed us to explore outside of our comfort zones. It has been a personal exercise of faith, as well as working together to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. The first quarter of this year has taught me important personal and professional lessons about how to build not only a commercial art space, but a communal site for safety, discovery, and healing. I believe that our collective vision for SoLA’s future can and will be realized. I am confident that I am walking in my purpose by doing this work.
We opened the 2022 year with Sui Generis: Debates About the Singular, curated by Khang Bao Nguyen. A visual artist and student of comparative philosophy, Nguyen bridges these distinct traditions, and blends forms of mysticism, modern, and postmodern theory into his work. In Sui Generis: Debates About the Singular, Nguyen brought together 13 artists whose work examines philosophical inquiries about the “singular”. According to both eastern and western tradition, the singular is not given, but rather, something that must be realized and achieved. In the context of contemporary art, the singular can be understood as the realization of one’s own unique voice. It necessitates breaking away from what has already been done and the refusal to conform to the established tradition. This radical notion set the tone for our year.
During the February and March months, we highlighted Black History and Women’s History. I was able to share my artistic voice and creative vision through On BLACK, which was my curatorial debut as SoLA’s Executive Director and Chief Curator. My impetus for the show was a desire to reimagine what the gallery is and who it serves. Zora Neal Hurston articulated my feelings about the traditional Western exhibition model when she wrote, "I feel most colored when I'm thrown against a sharp white background." From this departure, we painted the gallery walls black and witnessed how this recontextualization gave new meaning to the work of black artists. The closing reception included an artist talk between myself, artists Shawanna Davis, Lauren Levi, and Joseph Brandon, and moderated by SoLA Board Member and Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen's Marketing Expert, Tara King. It was a conversation of power, representation, and discovery – if you missed it, be sure to check it out on our YouTube. I am so grateful to all the ON BLACK artists, two of whom had their gallery debut. Elevating artists at every stage of their careers remains key to my personal philosophy and SoLA’s mission.
Our third show of the season was Migrant Madonna, a mixed media group show curated by the mother-daughter collective MamaDotta (Joyce Dallal & Naima White). This exhibition brought together eight artists who engaged and transformed the Madonna to reflect current socio-economic issues. They also celebrated family histories and cultures while amplifying the voices and experiences of migrant women today. You can find the Migrant Madonna catalog on our website and learn more about the profound exhibition that brought Quarter One to a close.
Pondering migration and movement, this exhibition felt both timely and in alignment for SoLA, as we prepare to make significant changes in the coming months. I am pleased to announce that SoLA Contemporary will transition from a brick-and-mortar space on Slauson to a nomadic arts entity. This is an opportunity to reimagine the threshold of a gallery, and to expand our Art on Slauson initiative to further corners of Los Angeles and beyond. This shift in our model gives us the chance to think radically outside of the “whitebox,” to engage more intentionally with our collaborators. In this new capacity, SoLA will be more active through in-person and online programming, reaching new communities locally and internationally.
Of course, the success of SoLA's 2021-2022 season would not have been possible without the dedication of my fantastic team, SoLA’s partners, and our sponsors. I want to thank the community for embracing us and witnessing our remarkable development this past year. Together, we have tapped into and increased the energy that radiates from Slauson Ave. I am deeply grateful for the community members new and old, and those who have supported and participated in our programming.
Thank you to Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen and our Board member, Tara King. Together, Tara and I envisioned Art On Slauson, now Art For The Climb, an initiative between SoLA Contemporary and Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen that places contemporary art throughout their three locations across Los Angele’s Slauson, Inglewood and Eagle Rock communities, with the goal of bringing visual artists to new audiences. Over the past few months, Long Beach-based painter, visual designer, and DJ THEZONKYGIRL, formally known as Carmel Katumba, was on view at Hilltop’s Slauson location. Learn more about ZONKYGIRL's practice in this interview from our virtual studio visit.
To our collectors, thank you for an outstanding season of sales. We are thrilled to grow our collector base locally and internationally. I am particularly proud to have placed a piece by Chantel Walkes in a local South LA charter school, Crete Academy. We are also grateful for our ongoing partnership with Inner-City Education Foundation (ICEF), which honored SoLA with the ICEF Impact Award in February. This award is given in recognition of high-quality learning experiences and opportunities for artistic expression SoLA provided to teachers and students.
Transformation not only describes this new era for SoLA, but it also articulates the power of art. Thank you to the artists who have chosen SoLA as a venue for their talents. Thank you for your time, trust, and dedication – for allowing us to embrace and promote your practices. Our artists are the visionaries, imagining new routes to future liberation, acting as griots and guides to curious eyes and minds. They provide transformative energy through their skill, creativity, and talent, inspiring us all.
In closing, ownership pertains to more than just a fine art collection - SoLA can help build that, but we also hope to build discourse around ownership of our communities, gentrification, ethical art collecting, and sustainable business practices. I look forward to engaging in dialogue on these matters and welcome the community to join us for our upcoming showcase, At the Intersection, which celebrates freedom, identity, and pride. At the Intersection will be on display at Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen’s Slauson, Inglewood and Eagle Rock locations August-October 2022 and our upcoming solo exhibition with the talented Christen Austin later this fall.
I'm excited for the remainder of the 2022 year and all the growth that is to come.
Sincerely,
Anefertiti Bowman
Mission & Values:
SoLA Contemporary advocates for change by empowering people from diverse backgrounds to explore the intersection of art, culture, society, and politics. We are a nonprofit, artist-run organization that serves as a cornerstone for cultural and artistic innovation in South Los Angeles. SoLA is a safe and receptive space for anyone seeking to experience the power of contemporary art.