MEY presents Tropismo Del Paisaje (Entre Sierra, Pantano, y Desierto). The solo exhibition features recent work by Los Angeles based artist Joaquín Stacey-Calle. An opening art party was held on October 4, 2023, at its Sunset Blvd location (2nd Floor). The exhibition will remain on view through November 1, 2023.
Mey, Joaquín Stacey-Calle
Joaquín’s artistic process begins with sourcing imagery from the large collection of family photographs taken by his father. Digitally layering and manipulating these images, the artist then renders them in oil and spray paint on materials such as drop cloth, wood, and canvas. Painted in a softness reminiscent of film photography and animation, and abstracted by geometric lines and blank spaces, these representations visualize the impending transience of memory. Rooted in his personal experiences of migration, the presented paintings and installations investigate how natural and constructed environments inform identity and inspire resistance.
Translating to Landscape Tropism (Between Sierra, Swamp, and Desert), the exhibition’s title is more than a reference to the tropical settings of the artist’s paintings. Tropism—the phenomenon of an organism responding to its external stimuli—is both materially and conceptually integral to Joaquín’s practice. The artist in in vested in how people respond to their surroundings and how landscapes respond to the people that inhabit them. Joaquín primarily explores life in the lush terrain of his three homes—Ecuador, Miami, and Los Angeles.
Joaquín Stacey-Calle
The artist (b. 2000) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Born in Quito, Ecuador, much of Joaquín’s multidisciplinary work is rooted in his place of birth. as well as his more recent homes of Miami and Los Angeles. Inspired by the local architecture and natural landscape of these places, Joaquín’s gestural abstractions explore identity, and memory. Furthermore he delves into the transience that is inherent to the immigrant experience. Joaquín’s artistic process begins by sourcing from the extensive collection of family photographs. The images taken by his father, and then rendered in oil. Joaquín consciously layers and omits paint—a process that results in a visual metaphor for the fragility of memory.
In 2022, Joaquín earned a BFA from Florida International University. He is also on track to complete an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design in 2024. The artist has exhibited his work throughout Miami and Los Angeles. In addition to the U.S., Joaquín has also exhibited internationally in Alicante, Spain and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
About MEY
MEY was born of the idea that contemporary art is a communal endeavor. MEY aims to bring those passionate about art into a space where they feel empowered to engage earnestly with work being made by rising artists today.
Founded by two women determined to help dispel some of the art world’s elusivity, MEY seeks to build a community; a community that upholds the belief that art is inherently a series of exchanges—from artist to artwork, artwork to viewer, and so on.
On view: October 4, 2023 – November 1, 2023
What: Tropismo Del Paisaje (Entre Sierra, Pantano, y Desierto),
Where: MEY, 8967 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 90069 (new address)
When: Running through November 1, 2023
Website: https://www.meygallery.com/
