New show is ‘visual’

by in Archives
“Under A Dark Storm II” by Nghia Quach. “I strive to touch those who need a voice and reach others who might not otherwise understand.”

BLOOMINGTON, MN (AAPJ) – A two-person exhibition, “Visual Translations” by Minneapolis artists Anna Carlson and Nghia Quach, goes on view Friday, August 14 through September 25, 2020 in the Inez Greenberg Gallery at the Bloomington Center for the Arts. The exhibit is presented by Artistry.

While they approach their work differently and for different reasons their very tactile artwork focuses on the challenges of communicating.

For Carlson, this challenge is to capture her mother’s memories and stories before the effects of dementia takes hold and wipes them away forever. Using fabric, thread and screen-printing techniques, she physically records their conversations. These “recordings” shift from being legible to symbolic patterns of recollections, ideas, and phrases.

“Textual Emergere” by Anna Carlson. “Language patterns connect us with family and society over time and across space, remind us of where we are from, and follow along with us in the path forward.”

Born in Vietnam with significant congenital physical handicaps due to Agent Orange, artist Quach is challenged daily by language and communication barriers.

While he may struggle to write and speak, his artwork has become his mode of expression as well as a way to experience a sense of personal healing.

About

Anna Carlson is a visual artist practicing in Minnesota. She earned her MFA in Graphic Design from the University of Minnesota in 2013, after a long career in clothing design. Since 2014, her work has been recognized in numerous exhibitions, including the New Bedford Art Museum (Massachusetts, USA) and Oregon College of Art and Craft (USA).

     Carlson has attended residencies at the Anderson Center, Redwing, Minnesota and Arteles Creative Center, Finland. She is an active participant in an artist group, promoting the group’s work through exhibitions and community engagement projects.

     Frequently invited to present to guilds and groups, she eagerly shares her life-long experiences with other creatives. A frequent traveler, she observes and embraces other cultures, and gathers images of textures and text wherever she goes. 

     Carlson lives with her husband in Minneapolis and maintains a studio in the Ivy Arts Building.

     Nghia Quach was born in Vietnam with significant congenital physical handicaps resulting from chemicals used during the Vietnam War. In 1980, at the age of 10, he and his family fled Vietnam’s ongoing strife and came to the United States. Soon after arrival, he underwent life-saving cardiac surgery and received treatment to partially increase a bilateral hearing impairment.

     Today, Quach maneuvers life with heart complications, impaired hearing and only one fully functioning arm. His new life in the United States began in Owatonna, Minnesota where he resided from 1980 to 2013. From 1990-1995 Nghia enhanced his painting and drawing talent at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). He now lives and creates art in the Minneapolis area. Quach’s work is revered and displayed in both private and corporate collections and he has publicly shown his work locally at MCAD, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Owatonna Art Center, and Faribault Art Center, as well as the Cassidy Bayou Art & Culture Center in Sumner, Mississippi.