Artnet Article

 

"A Bay Area Show Is Serving Up Artworks Inspired by Cheetos’s Bestselling Flamin’ Hot Flavor. See the Spicy Takes Here"

 

Adam Schrader, July 7, 2023

 

 

A finger-licking exhibition dedicated to 

Cheetos’s beloved Flamin’ Hot flavor has

debuted at Gallery 1202 in the Bay Area, just as a new biopic about the snack’s

purported inventor hits streaming platform Hulu.

 

Ruben Dario Villa, a 35-year-old former graphic designer for Apple and Google, curated the show, simply titled “Flamin’ Hot,” about a product he said carries such strong sentiments of nostalgia that it brings people together in a time of increased divisiveness in the United States.

 

Read the full article Here.


 

flamin' hot

june 16th - August 12th, 2023


Órale! Gallery 1202 presents Flamin’ Hot, an exhibition of work by Bay Area artists and Cheetos connoisseurs of the flaming hot varieties. 

 

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are more that just red, crunchy, hot cheese flavored snacks, they’re a pop culture icon, simultaneously nostalgic and current, a cultural revolution. From paletero carts on the corner to Forever 21 stores worldwide, Hot Cheetos has seeped into our collection subconscious and soon, onto the big screen. On the eve of the “Hot Cheetos Movie” that tells the story about the Mexican janitor turned executive who invented these finger-staining nuggets, we’ll be celebrating these iconic chips with a curated group art show, heartburn and all. 

 

The exhibition will be on view at Gallery 1202 from June 16th through August 12, 2023. Please pull up for an opening reception on June 16th from 5-9pm, with live music, refreshments, and all around artsy shenanigans. The closing reception will be held on August 12th from 12-3pm, with a special artist talk at 1pm. 

 



 


eterne

 

April 21st - June 10th, 2023

 

 

Gallery 1202 presents Eterne, an exhibition of work by Edward C. Alfano and Teresa K. Morrison. Alfano and Morrison use alternative photographic processes to explore the natural world in evocative and provocative ways. Each artist finds harmony and rhythm in organic matter through value shifts that abstract perception and reify essence. 

 

Alfano’s use of black-and-white infrared film unsettles expectations of landscape photography, inverting tones to highlight sun-infused plant life against relative dark skies. The visual surprise reveals nature’s constancy even as it’s altered through human interaction. Informed by his years as a student of plant biology, Alfano’s thoughtful compositions linger on elemental dances of organisms and diurnal light, arresting fleeting moments in photographic repose. 

 

Morrison combines cameraless alternative darkroom practices of lumen prints and chemigrams to highlight ephemeral and degraded matter. Weeds and organic detritus are exposed directly on long-expired light-sensitive papers, leaving an abstracted record of presence in time-altered photo emulsion. 

 

The exhibition will be on view at Gallery 1202 from April 21st through June 10, 2023. Please join us for an opening reception on April 29th, from 6-9 pm, with live music and refreshments. The closing reception will be held on June 10th from 1-4 pm, with a special artist talk at 2 pm.



 

THROUGH THE LIMPET RING

feburary 25th - April 15th, 2023

Gallery 1202 presents Through the Limpet Ring, a solo show by Laurie Barmore. This awe-inspiring exhibition showcases all new works created from the past year by Washington-based artist Laurie Barmore. She draws inspiration from the beaches of a nearby inlet of the Pacific Ocean called the Puget Sound. It’s on these shores where Barmore peers through rings of shells from battered limpets. This tangible manifestation of Laurie’s ideology is where the physical world and the spirit meet. Her large-scale acrylic paintings in this exhibition encourage us to wander and connect with our inner landscapes. These abstract pieces encompass dynamic color, gestural lines, and organic forms to create works that resonate with movement and a poetic sense of wonder. 

 

“How does one paint such a thing? To create these non-representational paintings, I’ve allowed my hands the freedom to move across the canvas with charcoal and paint making intuitive marks that rise from memory, impressions, and feelings stirred by countless hours on the beach. They’re undefined initially, but like mining my soul, shapes and ideas will emerge in the process that direct me to something particular, and I catch sight of my humanity within the designs of the natural world. Metaphors emerge dreamlike, I breathe in and out, the tides rise and recede. I hope my paintings connect you to the infinite beauty of your own inner landscape and spark in you a desire to wander.”  - Laurie Barmore

 

The show will take place in our physical location, 7363 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA, from February 25, 2023, through April 15, 2023. The opening reception will take place on February 25th, from 6-9 pm. 

 

 

 

 



 


Nature's Dream 

 

january 7th - Feburary 11th, 2023

 

 

Gallery 1202 presents Nature’s Dream, a two-person sculpture show with Adon Valenziano & Wesley Wright. This stunning exhibition showcases two imaginative Northern California artists who show mastery of their mediums in the pursuit of creating new ecology. The surreal works of Adon Valenziano appear to be grown from another world, both relatable and foreign. At the same time, Wesley Wright’s ceramic works call on mythology and our planet’s flora and fauna to create a sense of wonderment. 

 

In this exhibition, Valenziano showcases works from two different series; Fruits of Labor and Biometamorphs. In their simplest essence, his Fruits of Labor pieces are described by him as “A celebration of the transformative power of physical labor.” It is the merging of the relationship between man and nature. Created from an assemblage of natural wood and epoxy, these stunning pieces appear to cast spells on ordinary objects reclaiming them to nature. Adon S. Valenziano describes his Biometamorphs as “hybrid creations, from “bio,” meaning life or organism, “meta,” meaning to transform or transcend, and “morph,” meaning form or shape. Though I borrow vocabulary from the visible world, I am not interested in mimesis. Rather, I am interested in transmuting existing visible forms into fantastical entities through a mixture of surrealism, abstraction, and hybridity.” Although Valenziano works in an array of traditional mediums & processes, his pieces have a futuristic aesthetic and take us to worlds we’ve never seen. 

 

Wesley T. Wright’s ceramic works in this exhibition explore what it means to exist in this world at this time. His stunning reimaginations & homages of California wildlife and beyond are a new alchemy of his creation with their own logical order. Wright’s sculptures resonate with individual personality and character. With extreme attention to detail and, at times, eccentric imagery, each piece has a hidden narrative that begs to be unearthed.

 The show will take place in our physical location, 7363 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA, from January 7, 2023, through February 11, 2023. The opening reception will take place on January 14th, from 6-9 pm. 



 

OPENING RECEPTION October 8th FROM 6-9PM

Gallery 1202 presents Curvas Audaces: Explorations of Strength. A two-person show, with sculptor Elisa Ortega Montilla and painter Sandra De la Torre. The show explores their individual dualities, both spiritually and tangibly. Spanish artist Elisa Ortega Montilla’s abstract works draw on layered themes of femininity, memory, and identity, which empower a universal language. Mexican artist Sandra De la Torre’s process is cathartic; she practices vulnerability by looking inward to create mystical works that allow her to explore her inner universe. 

 

 

See the Gilroy Dispatch article here.

 



 


Closing Reception 

 

OCTOBER 2ND FROM 12-3PM

Gallery 1202 presents Our Americana, a solo show by Chloe Alexander. In this whimsical show, Chloe Alexander creates an alternative narrative to the traditional Americana. Through the marriage of figurative expression and a dream-like pastel color palette, Alexander creates delicate, stunning works. 


 In this body of work, Chloe Alexander illustrates young people of color either in physical motion or in poses of beautiful contemplation. Encapsulating a memory and a story, Alexander’s pieces are rich with narrative and a sense of place. Incredibly detailed and surreal, this work reflects skilled thoughtful talent from an internationally exhibited printmaker.  

 

View 3D Tour Here!

 

The show will run through October 2nd, with a Mimosa Sunday closing reception from 12-3pm on the 14th.  Come appreciate this gorgeous show while enjoying music, complimentary wine, and hors d’oeuvres!


 



Closing Reception 

 

August 14th FROM 12-3PM

Gallery 1202 presents Found, But Not Forgotten a curated show of women artists from the Bay Area working with reclaimed materials. Looking to elevate mediums traditionally used by women artists throughout history, this exhibition offers work from emerging, mid-career, and established artists who work in different methods, mediums and dimensions. Each artist honors the history of their objects through suspension, assemblage, modification, installation or display. 

 

The show will run through August 14th, with a Mimosa Sunday closing reception from 12-3pm on the 14th.  Come appreciate this inspiring group show while enjoying music, complimentary wine, and hors d’oeuvres!

 

View 3D Tour Here!


 


May 14th FROM 6-9PM

Gallery 1202 presents its annual show, Paper + Fiber with a theme of Urban Landscapes, both literal and figurative. The show features four women artists living in urban environments: Lorraine Bubar, Julia Sossinka, Yolanda Guerra, and Jay Katelansky. The artists discuss the struggles and aesthetic of their own urban environments through their work. Themes of the unhoused, inaccessibility to homeownership, safety, and the complexities of urban living are woven throughout the show with a focused theme on "home," and what that means in a post-COVID environment. 

 

The opening reception will be held at our Gilroy gallery on May 14th from 6-9 pm. The exhibition will also be recorded in 3D and available online via Artland, and featured on Artsy. 

 

The show will run through June 26th, with a Mimosa Sunday closing reception from 12-3 pm on the 26th.  Come appreciate this inspiring 

 

View 3D tour Here!


April 20th-24th 

Don't miss the last chance to see us at Art Market San Francisco! Gallery 1202 is proud to present a selection of contemporary works.  
 


MARCH 26th FROM 6-9PM

Gallery 1202 presents The Secret Language of the Forest, a solo show by Katherine Filice. In this enigmatic show, Filice’s work prompts us to think deeply and share openly as she exposes not only the creative zeitgeist of her inner world, but our collective spiritual awakening. 

While remaining obsessively devoted to the line, both literal and implied, her work takes on a highly conceptualized, intuitive form. Filice creates her works by drawing or painting large figures, languages, patterns, often inspired by her environment, both natural and relational, onto sizeable sheets of Fabriano paper. In many works, Filice completely transgressed the 2D plane by physically manipulating her drawing surfaces, sculpting her paper, piece by piece. She does so by deconstructing, soaking, and reforming the shreds into textural kinetic forms. Both approaches retain fidelity to her original line work. 

Filice is deeply moved and inspired by her environment, particularly long walks through the Northern California woods. She acknowledges that the woods hold collective memory, the entire spectrum of all emotion and experience, including both universal joy and pain. 


As she became aware of how the same patterns in her line work are in the trees, the sky and the ground, she began to understand how nature directly communicates via an unspoken language. Filice recounts, “It took my breath to see the lines I had been making replicated in the woods…it was a door unlocked. From this very moment I knew the trees were talking, and I had been hearing them all along. Since then, my work has been an attempt to transcribe the secrets of that language while attempting to reconcile personal memories, the hurt, the loss; and my frustrating attempts to move to a place of grace and hope.”


The opening reception will be held at our Gilroy gallery on March 26th from 6-9 pm. Come enjoy this amazing show and meet the artist, Katherine Filice! As the show runs  through May 8th, there will be a closing reception from 12-3pm on the 8th. The exhibition will also be recorded in 3D and available online via Artland, and featured on Artsy. Reserve your free tickets to the reception here!



March 20th FROM 12-3PM.

Don't miss the last chance to see Recreating the Wild/ Nature (Un)Spoiled, an exhibition featuring the Eco-Friendly Art of Yulia Shtern. This inspiring show creates its own reality through the dualism colorful, whimsical representations of mostly extinct or endangered animals whose habitats have been destroyed by industrial expansion or deforestation. The medium of this series consists of post mass-consumption up-cycled material: Paper products, packing, non-recyclable plastics, fabric offcuts and other items that would have otherwise gone to the landfill, adhered with varnish glue. 

The closing reception will be March 20th, 12-3 pm. 




 We will have complimentary beverages and hors d'oeuvres to enjoy at the reception. Click here to reserve your free ticket to the closing reception!




Check out our 3D tour online here.





FEBRUARY 5th FROM 6-9 PM


Gallery 1202 presents: Recreating the Wild/Nature (Un)Spoiled, a solo show by Yulia Shtern. Shtern is a Canadian Visual Artist, and a Scenic and Costume Designer for Theatre, Dance and Opera currently residing in Northern Italy. In this series, Shtern focuses on animals that are endangered, extinct or under threat and creates colorful, whimsical wall-mounted and free-standing sculptures. The medium of this series consists of post mass consumption up-cycled material: paper products, packaging, non-recyclable plastics, fabric leftovers, and other items that would have otherwise gone to a landfill, adhered with varnish glue. As her sculptures have unique mediums and methods, Shtern provides an enriching experience to her audience as she also displays her materials and process alongside her work.




Recreating the Wild/Nature (Un)Spoiled creates its own reality through the dualism of a colourful, whimsical representation of animals whose habitats have been destroyed by industrial expansion or deforestation. Shtern’s work aims to inspire action to stop this ongoing tragedy and offers an element of magic that provides hope for the recovery of our planet.




The opening reception will be held at our Gilroy gallery on February 5th from 6-9 pm. The exhibition will also be recorded in 3D and available online via Artland, and featured on Artsy.  




The show will run through March 20th, with a closing reception from 12-3pm on the 20th.  Come see this unique, inspiring show while complimentary wine, music and hors d'oeuvres!


JANuary 30th FROM 12-3PM.

Don't miss the last chance to see RENEWAL: A Small Works Group Show, an exhibition showing a diverse array of artists from around the globe. This exciting show features various mediums such as sculpture, paintings, embroidery, photography and more. In this small works show, each artist reflects on growth and renewal in the time after the lock down. All the artworks are under 24x24 inches and under $1,000, making it an accessible show for new and veteran collectors alike.

The closing reception will be January 30th, 12-3 pm. 




Stop by to meet some of the participating artists at the closing reception while sipping on a mimosa! We will have complimentary beverages and hors d'oeuvres to enjoy at the reception. Click here to reserve your free ticket to the closing reception!




Check out our 3D tour online here.




DECEMBER 18th FROM 6-9 PM


Gallery 1202 presents: RENEWAL: A Small Works Group Show, an exhibition featuring 18 local and international artists with a diverse array of work including sculpture, paintings, embroidery, photography and more. In this small works show, all the artworks are under 24x24 inches and under $1,000, making it an accessible show for new and veteran collectors alike.


The collection of works represents growth, and renewal in the time after the lock down. Amy Hibbs, Yulia Shtern, Laurie Barmore and Jennifer Blalack, celebrate their renewal with flashes of expressive blues, and sprays of silver.  Katherine Filice, Linda Frueh, Molly Sullivan, Hero and Emily May continue to explore new avenues in their practices bringing fresh processes and results to their portfolio.  Edward Alfano, Anna Thomasdotter, Dani Vinokurov, Helen Bellaver and Natalie Ciccoricco refine and focus on their current methods and styles with their works. Samantha Viotty’s work embodies her renewal as she embraces her new path in life with Yogis of Lake Atitlán, 2021. Erin Rappleye and Abby Bettencourt continue to transgress the lines between craft, fine art and art objects. 


 The opening reception will be held at our Gilroy gallery on December 18th from 6-9pm. The exhibition will also be recorded in 3D and available online via Artland, and featured on Artsy. 


The show will run through January 30th, with a closing reception from 12-3pm on the 30th.  Come meet and greet some of the participating artists such as Jennifer Blalack, Samantha Viotty and Helen Bellaver at the opening and closing receptions, while enjoying complimentary wine, hors d'oeuvres and live music!


DECEMBER 12th FROM 12-3 PM

Come join us for the closing reception of Pride of Our Village, a solo show by Tijay Mohammed, featuring portraits of historical and contemporary Black, Indigenous femme icons of color.



Mohammed often repurposes objects and stories in his work to reflect on the nostalgia of a time and place while expressing the complexities of the African and African American and minority experiences. In this series, Mohammed explores “the vital and significant role of women in nation building especially BIPOC women, whose daily labor and work, necessary to their families and livelihood, is often overlooked.”


The closing reception will be December 12th, 12-3 pm. 
We will have complimentary mimosas and hors d'oeuvres to enjoy at the reception. Click here to reserve your free ticket to the closing reception!




Check out our 3D tour online here!


   NOVEMBER 6th FROM 6-9 PM


Gallery 1202 presents Pride of Our Village, a solo exhibition by artist Tijay Mohammed. Mohammed repurposes objects and stories in his work to reflect on the nostalgia of a time and place while expressing the complexities of the African and African American and minority experiences. 


“Pride of our Village consists of portraits of Black, Indigenous, and women of color on Dollar bills, exploring the vital and significant role of women in nation building, especially BIPOC women, whose daily labor and work, necessary to their families and livelihood, is often overlooked.


 Whilst referencing 100 years of women’s voting in the USA although Black women couldn’t vote until 1965, these discoveries capture black Joy, Freedom, hope, pride, beauty, lifestyle, wisdom, confidence, strength, struggle, leadership, womanhood, power, and love.


The process is inspired by ‘Sankofa’ an Adinkra symbol of Ghana which means 'learning from the past for a prosperous future.' I hope Pride of Our Village inspires greater relationship to our diaries, aspirations, letdowns, and contemporary lives hence, serving as inspiration for the enrichment of this and generations yet unborn."


The opening reception will be held at our Gilroy gallery on November 6th from 6-9 pm. Running  through December 12th, there will be a closing reception from 12-3pm on the 12th. The exhibition will also be recorded in 3D and available online via Artland, and featured on Artsy.  



OCTOBER 31st FROM 1-3 PMLast chance to see Infinite Possibilities: A Movement Into the Future at our Mimosa Sunday! 


Come join us at Gallery 1202 for the closing reception of Infinite Possibilities: A Movement Into the Future, a two person show featuring mixed media paintings by LA Pop/Street artists, Amy Smith and hero (Casey Courey-Pickering.)


Each artist speaks through their politically charged art in their own respective ways: Smith encouraging the viewer “to feel a sense of freedom surrounding each portrait, and tap into the oneness that connects us all” and hero exploring “movement through the spectrum of light, time and space, and what possibilities exist at the intersection of imagination, innovation and choice.”


The closing reception will be October 31st 1-3pm. 


We will have complimentary mimosas and hors d'oeuvres to enjoy at the reception. Click here to reserve your free ticket to the closing reception!


Check out our 3D tour online here!


September 25, 6-9pm

Gallery 1202 presents:  Infinite Possibilities: A Movement into the Future, an exhibition of mixed media paintings  by LA Pop/Street artists, Amy Smith and hero (Casey Courey-Pickering.) Speaking through their politically charged art, Smith and hero question what the future holds, in their own respective ways.  The opening reception will be held at our Gilroy gallery on September 25th from 6-9pm. The exhibition will also be recorded in 3D and available online via Artland, and featured on Artsy. 


Smith’s female forward body of work titled In Flow encourages the viewer “to feel a sense of freedom surrounding each portrait, and tap into the oneness that connects us all.” Smith’s work has historically empowered women, and minorities.  She has championed the laboring class, the disenfranchised, and those whose voices have been silenced.  In this series she envisions a future where the sense of freedom is embodied, and offered as a “cyclical way of harmonious living.” 


Hero’s collection of works focuses on “movement through the spectrum of light, time and space, and what possibilities exist at the intersection of imagination, innovation and choice.” The cosmic theme his works embody beg the question of discovery, and what the future will hold.  The artist asks the questions:  “Are we the ones doing the discovering or the ones that will be discovered?” How will we handle the obstacles we face in the future?  “Do we find creative solutions to solve our problems or to skirt around them?” 


The show will run through October 31st, with a closing reception from 2-4pm on the 31st.  The artists will be present at the opening reception on the 25th. 


AUGUST 7 FROM 5-8PM.

Gallery 1202 is proud to present (Self)LOVE, a group show featuring artists from all over the world, who answered our call for art. The theme for this show centers around the importance to self-care, self-awareness, and mental health during not only the pandemic, but also the political upheaval of 2020 and beyond. The pieces selected for this exhibition represent, embody, or otherwise realize self-care lessons learned during the last 18 months, and the importance of self-preservation in times of unrest in whatever form that presented itself to the artist. This show will include a wide variety of mediums, ranging from sculpture to body jewelry to photography to painting. 

We will also include a room dedicated to featuring local, Bay Area artists!

Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, August 7th. We will have wine, hors d’oeuvres, and live music featuring Sej Miles from 5-8pm.


Click here to reserve your free ticket!


AUGUST 1 FROM 3-5PM.

Gallery 1202 presents Paper & Fiber, an annual group show celebrating contemporary artworks using paper and fiber as the medium. Paper & Fiber showcases Adele Deloris Riley, Natalie Ciccoricco, Amy Hibbs, Lucha Rodriguez, and Dani Vinokurov, each who highlight and elevate the mediums of paper and fiber in their work. These artists captivate their audiences through bright colors and intricate textures, while incorporating natural elements or subjects.

Come join us at our Closing Reception on August 1st! We will be open from 12-5pm. 

Two of the featured artists will be in attendance at the Closing Reception on August 1st, 2021 from 3-5pm to discuss their artworks and processes!

Click here to reserve your free tickets to the Closing Reception!


Press

ART & ANTIQUES

On this page from the March 2021 edition of the Art & Antiques magazine, the bottom left contains a small piece about Gallery 1202 and our exhibition, Linda Frueh: Echoes and Traces.

ART & ANTIQUES

On this page from the October 2020 edition of the Art & Antiques magazine, the top half, "New Perspectives" contains a segment on Gallery 1202 and our powerful Women (Un)Silenced exhibition. This exhibition went on to travel to the Black Wall Street Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

GMH MAGAZINE

"GALLERY 1202: AN INSPIRATION REALIZED "
Spring 2020By, Dan Craig
Read More...


The gallery focus is to be a landing spot for the community to relax, view artwork, and to bring together the cultural assets we already have here. 

by Emily McEwan-Upright in GMH Interview 





South valley magazine

"GILROY GALLERY OPENS IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN HOTEL "
November 9, 2019By, Erik Chaloub
Emily McEwan-Upright envisioned a space where creative mothers and mid-career artists can display their work without the pressures and demands of a traditional fine art gallery. The result is Gallery 1202, which recently moved from the Pixley House on Fifth Street in downtown Gilroy to The Neon Exchange at 7363 Monterey St. and celebrated its grand opening in October. The gallery, named after McEwan-Upright’s first child’s birthdate of Dec. 2, was founded in 2017 to complement McEwan-Upright’s tax accounting office that she purchased from her mother. McEwan-Upright, who had recently completed an artist residency in Texas, used the gallery to display her own work for the first year. In April, Gallery 1202 began showcasing other artists on a rotating basis.... Read More


Emily McEwan-Upright envisioned a space where creative mothers and mid-career artists can display their work without the pressures and demands of a traditional fine art gallery.

by Erik Chaloub, South Valley Magazine