CHELSEA, Manhattan (WABC) — A new solo exhibition by artist Kandy G. Lopez is on display at ACA Galleries in Chelsea, featuring large-scale fiber portraits that challenge viewers to see their subjects in a new way.<\/p>\n
“I want you to be in a room where all the subjects are staring at you,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
The exhibit, titled Taking Up Space, features portraits that from a distance appear to be paintings. A closer look reveals the works are made of yarn strategically placed on hook rug mesh.<\/p>\n
“I think the shape of the eyes is a perfect guide to moving down and across the face, so if the eye shape is not correct, it’s not going to look like the person,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
Although her current work centers on fiber, Lopez said her background is in painting.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know how to weave or sew or crochet or any of the ‘ers’ that have to do with fiber; I know how to paint,” she said.<\/p>\n
Originally from Bayonne, New Jersey, Lopez learned to paint in middle school, where she worked with watercolors, an experience that later influenced her current artistic practice.<\/p>\n
“It was a way of teaching us a way to see light and how to see texture and reflection,” she said.<\/p>\n
The portraits depict real people of color whom Lopez said have “swag” or something magical about them. The works are intentionally oversized.<\/p>\n
“You go to Europe and see these beautiful paintings in churches, and they are massive, and as a visitor you’re looking up at it, and that’s what I want for people of color,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
The pieces in Taking Up Space are her largest to date, measuring up to 14 feet. Lopez, a mother of two and an associate professor of Art and Design in Florida, said the success of her work has been humbling.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a pinch-me moment, so I think a lot about being blessed, ancestral energy, very, very thankful,” she said.<\/p>\n
Lopez also incorporates donated yarn into her artwork. According to the report, strangers sometimes reach out and send yarn for her projects.<\/p>\n
“I’ll get like grandma’s or great-grandma’s yarn, so I have given this yarn a new life,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
The Taking Up Space exhibition is on view at ACA Galleries in Chelsea through Oct. 24.<\/p>\n
For more information please visit: https:\/\/acagalleries.com\/exhibitions\/89-kandy-g-lopez-taking-up-space-new-works-by-kandy-g\/<\/a><\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * More Manhattan news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts<\/a> <\/p>\n * Follow us on YouTube<\/a> <\/p>\n
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