“My work is about finding balance and striving toward self-actualization through chaos and chance. I represent my mental health journey in my artwork - building a visual dictionary of my body and how it stores and communicates emotions from pain to liberation. I hope the viewer can see their own experience in my work and will help them find a way to understand their mind and body connection.”

—Angela Miskis

Queens, New York—May 23, 2022— The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) is pleased to present “It’s a Luxury to Look Back,” artist Angela Miskis′ survey exhibition within JCAL’s Miller gallery curated by Teri Henderson. The show of mixed-media works contains over 50 artworks including painting, drawing, and collages.

“‘It’s A Luxury to Look Back’ is a journey of empowerment, transferred from the artist’s making of the show to the individual who gets to see and experience her artwork in person. The artist infuses each artwork with a radical vulnerability, selflessly creating a space for her to see herself and the viewer to locate familiarity within her paintings. Miskis′ vibrant and emotional works reflect her journey growing up in America away from her roots in Ecuador. Angela’s brilliant work brings us together. Physically and emotionally, we can reconcile and reconvene before her artwork. Her abstract works, composed of collages, paintings, and drawings, are an elegant amalgamation of a profoundly intuitive and brilliant individual.” said Teri Henderson, the curator of the exhibition.

The artist will host an opening reception for “It’s a Luxury to Look Back” on Thursday, June 30, 2022, from 6:00 to 8:30pm. The artist will be in attendance. RSVP on Eventbrite Please check the gallery’s website JCAL.org or call 718-658-7400 for their latest COVID-19 policies before attending the event.

For Miskis creating art has always been about freedom. Her approach is formally articulated in the way that Miskis fuses, reconfigures, and layers seemingly disparate materials, connecting her own hand with those of the original creators and merging boundaries between past and present. Miskis holds many identities in her local community, including being a community organizer and the founder of Abuela Neighborhood Maintenance, a grass-roots organization addressing quality of life issues in Southeast Queens and promoting environmental stewardship. It is therefore unsurprising that she works with the concepts of recycling and repurposing in her art

In 2019, Miskis began creating stencils from recycled packaging materials that she digitized. This process was a way for Miskis to think about recycling in an updated manner - instead of using recycled objects as material where they can only have one more life but rather as stencils that she remixes into multiple variations.

In her newest work, she developed the idea of using repetition to include stencils of her body. The characteristic variations feature prominently in the figures of one of Miskis′ newest works, Nine Years to Say Goodbye. In this work, Miskis depicts a journey of self-healing, from letting go of old beliefs, mourning your past selves, and moving forward. With Nine Years to Say Goodbye, Miskis opens a space to think about mental health and reflect on the experience of the “other” to foster empathy and human connection.

“Every painting created from 2021 to 2022 echoes Miskis′ other artworks on display, spanning over a decade of her art career. With each remix and reuse, Miskis is not only processing her memories but carrying a thread of her personal history with her into new artwork. The making of Miskis′ work is an act of reinvention and empowerment; the creation of her paintings allows the artist to build pieces that are layered with affirmation and self-assurance. ‘It’s a Luxury to Look Back’ voices the triumph of actively healing from past difficult experiences, an exhibition of artworks that heals Miskis and others.” continued Teri Henderson, the curator of the exhibition.

“We are extremely excited to have Angela’s work in the Miller Gallery. As a community-based institution, it is vital that we present artwork that is accessible and speaks to the community. Angela Miskis′ work reflects those ideals and sets a benchmark for the future. We are honored to have her,” said Courtney Ffrench, Artistic Director of JCAL where the exhibition will be taking place.

The exhibition title itself serves as a call to action, reminding us that the opportunity to take time for ourselves and self-reflect is a luxury.

—

Angela Miskis was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2013 with a degree in Visual and Critical Studies. She has exhibited widely across the United States and has been included in a range of art festivals and art residencies. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Pine Plains Free Library (2019) and the Inter-Space Gallery and Lab (2015). Her works have been exhibited as part of over 30 group presentations and have been featured in several print and online publications. Miskis′ recent honors include the Create Change Fellowship with The Laundromat Project, the Utopian Practice Fellowship with Culture Push, the Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant, and the City Artists Corps Grant (2021). Miskis lives and works in Queens, NY.

Angela Miskis Presents “It’s a Luxury to Look Back” in partnership with Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. “It’s a Luxury to Look Back” is part of JCAL’s Building Equity Project, funded in part by the New York Community Trust. This exhibition is also made possible, in part, by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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ANGELA MISKIS

“It’s a Luxury to Look Back”

Opening reception: Thursday, June 30, 6–8:30 pm. RSVP to the Opening Reception

Public programming: The artist will be present every Saturday from July 2 to July 23 from 12:00am to 5:00pm. RSVP to the Public Programming

The Miller Gallery is located at 161-04 Jamaica Ave, Jamaica, NY 11432. Operating hours: Monday through Saturday, 10:00am to 6:00pm, closed Sundays and major holidays. For additional information, call JCAL at 718-658-7400 or visit JCAL.org

PRESS CONTACT

Angela Miskis, angelamiskis@gmail.com