FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 17, 2022, Santa Ana, CA
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art is pleased to present the exhibition The Time Returns
Works by Ashraf A. El Hady & Carolyn Yarnell with Beth Davila Waldman
Flowers by Ikebana Izumi Kai
Dates: November 5 - 26, 2022
Opening Reception:
Saturday November 5, from 6:00 – 10:00 pm
360° tour of the gallery
The Exhibition
A tribute to everlasting love, twin flames, synchronicity, and the Art, Life and Love of Ashraf A. ElHady (1968-2020)
Ashraf A. El Hady (1968-2020)
Ashraf Abbas El Hady, head of the Graphic Department of Minya Arts, was born in Aswan, Egypt. His brush remained warm, overloaded with his expression, hours before his departure, he was hit by a sudden heart attack. More like a Sindbad, his experience in traveling and creativity extended to many countries east and west, which added to his world and visual culture. He studied at the Academy of Arts in Florence, Italy; the Kyoto Institute of Technology in Japan and received a Ph.D. in philosophy of art from Al-Minya. His recent works belonged to the visual literacy, which makes the Arabic letters a unique rhythm. His works have come here as spiritual lights and manifestations. A visual impulse in which the letters swim. He stands, bends and names in the photography space in a trilogy of red, orange and white against a background of calm sky blue. It is the path to light, where it moved from our material world to the world of spirit and serenity. “When we contemplate Ashraf Abbas, we find him concerned, and when we approach him and his experience during the past years, we find the answer. He is concerned with research and experimentation, moving away from the traditional and stereotypical, searching for exclusivity after passing through rugged areas in the art of the artistic edition, starting with prominent engraving and passing through intaglio printing with its multiple technology. The most important of which was the stage of direct engraving with the chisel, and we cannot overlook the last work, which won one of the highest awards of the Egypt International Triennale in its fifth session, in which he flirted with pop art trends without falling into the temptations of form. If in the past and the recent past, he was interested in the classics of technology that carry his rich heritage beliefs. Here he is adding to his graphic repertoire today a new experience in which he discovers a virgin area through which he announces his entry into modernity, so he employs cans of soft drinks that are thrown in the streets, and Ashraf takes them and removes from them what was vague and disobedient. The formations that he creates through this simple unit amaze us with their deep and prominent print, as well as not inked. They amaze us by revealing the hidden. They amaze us by revealing their spiritual and temporal store, which is in fact the metaphysical store of our artist that we celebrate. I think the happiest thing in this show are those printed works that carry and convey all these aesthetic values”.
Ahmed Sakr
Beth Davila Waldman
Waldman’s 2021-2022 “Division Series” is deeply embedded in her empathetic approach of reading landscape considering the historical, social and political contexts from which they are derived. With an archeological approach of discovering material and image that speaks to continuous shifts over time using the language of paint, material, and image, these works allude to the layer concept of being divided with a great pathos for those separated by topographical, cultural and social conditions. Website:http://www.bethwaldman.com/
Carolyn Yarnell
Multi-disciplinary artist Carolyn Yarnell works as a contemporary classical music composer, painter, photographer and writer.
“Being a visual artist, my music explores color and form through the depths of emotion. Being a musician, in my visual work I draw from the formal techniques and the spontaneity of classical musical composition, incorporating counterpoint, tonal harmony and improvisation to create both linear and vertical depth.
My works are not always clear representations of places or things, they are rather like fleeting
frozen moments perceived from great distances”.
"Divisions No. 4" Beth Davila Waldman
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"Memory Book" Ashraf A. El Hady
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Triptych by Ashraf A. El Hady & Carolynn Yarnell
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PDF version
About OCCCA: www.occca.org
Founded by artists in 1980 and located in the heart of Santa Ana Artist Village, OCCCA is a non-profit,
501(c)(3) corporation, dedicated to the pursuit of professional excellence in the arts, a constantly changing
showcase for artists, educators, and community activists. Always free admission, OCCCA recognizes the importance of social
engagement, global networking, intellectual exchange, critical dialogue, and the collaborative process.
OCCCA presents exhibitions of contemporary art, along with concerts, performances, art classes,
symposiums, and publications.
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA)
117 North Sycamore Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701 - Phone: 714-667-1517
email info.occca@gmail.com
Gallery hours: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from noon to 5 pm The gallery will be closed on November 12th for a private event.
Additional hours by appointment: send an email to Carolyn Yarnell cy2332@aol.com
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