Join The Nicholson Project for an artist talk featuring artists Kyujin Lee, Madyha J. Leghari, and Thiang Uk in conversation alongside curator Thomas F. James, as they discuss their work in the current exhibition, Scorched Petals to Pages: Investigating Narratives at the Intersection of Image Making and Literature. This exhibition examines the dynamic relationships that exist between literature and image-making, and how they are utilized for storytelling, uncovering truths, and even spreading propaganda. The work in Scorched Petals to Pages explores historical messaging and protest art that can galvanize support for social movements, how one can examine their place in the world, and how linguistics can transcend the human experience. Audiences will be able to engage with interactive installations and poetry from writers from around the world. Scorched Petals to Pages is on view September 7 through November 16, 2024. The gallery will be open to the public on Saturdays from 12-4 pm, Wednesdays 11am-3pm, and by appointment.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Kyujin Lee (b. 1972, Seoul) received her MFA from the City College of the City University of New York in 1997, and her MA from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2000. Since Fall 2001, she has been living and working in Washington, DC. She has had seven solo exhibitions including Looking In, Looking Out in 2023 at Adah Rose Gallery (Kensington, MD), and Happy Mending in 2021 at Lab Gallery, Brentwood Arts Exchange (Brentwood, MD), and has participated in numerous group exhibitions across the US.

Madyha J. Leghari (b. 1991, Pakistan) is a visual artist, writer, and educator working between Lahore and Washington DC. She earned a BFA at the National College of Arts, Lahore (2013) and an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (2018) through a Fulbright Scholarship. Her practice often revolves around the possibilities and limitations of language and is often positioned in the indeterminate spaces of translation, cultural friction, and semantic lacunae. Leghari has been the recipient of the Wherewithal Research Grant; Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship; Mansion Artist Residency; Delta Research Placement at the Flat Time House; Vasl Fiction Writing Mentorship; Siena Art Institute Artist Residency and the Murree Museum residency. Leghari has exhibited globally at prestigious venues including the Pera Museum, Karachi Biennale, University of Colorado Boulder, Bennington College, Sea Foundation, The Institute for Experimental Arts, Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Images Festival, and others spanning the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Her work has found mention in the Washington Post, Artforum, and The News Pakistan, amongst others. Leghari has written on art for a number of publications including ArtNow Pakistan and the Dawn Newspaper. Additionally, she has taught at institutions including the National College of Arts, Lahore, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, and the Beaconhouse National University, Lahore.

Thiang Uk (b. 1993, Myanmar) migrated to the United States with his family in 2004 fleeing potential violence and the instability of Myanmar’s government. Uk’s paintings investigate notions of holding manifold identities, inhabiting ever-shifting landscapes, and exploring ancestral memory through animism, metamorphosis, distance, mystery, and the formality of painting. He received his M.F.A. in the LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and his B.F.A. at Hunter College in NYC in 2017. He completed a residency at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine in 2023. Uk is currently based in Baltimore, MD.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Thomas F. James (b. 1994, Washington, DC) is a curator based in Baltimore, MD. The focal aspect of his work is to communicate ideas through exhibitions focusing on storytelling. By approaching his curatorial practice as a narrator, he is able to emphasize the cultural backgrounds and nuances within artists’ works. This is done in the hopes to provide viewers with more context and a holistic scope of what artists are presenting. He finds storytelling imperative to communicating grander concepts that create approachable, intellectual conversations.

About The Nicholson Project

The Nicholson Project is a paid artist residency program and neighborhood garden in Ward 7’s Fairlawn neighborhood. Our mission is to support, provide opportunities, engage, and amplify artists and creatives from our community and the local artist community—particularly artists of color and those from Ward 7 and 8—while engaging our neighbors through community-based programming. Our vision is to serve as a cultural hub and community anchor celebrating Ward 7’s authentic identity, while infusing new vibrancy into Southeast DC. We hope to inspire others to use similar non-traditional arts and community-centered projects as a pathway toward stronger, more vibrant communities. Learn more at www.thenicholsonproject.org.

Contact the host of SCORCHED PETALS TO PAGES ARTIST AND CURATOR TALK