{"id":822494,"date":"2026-08-22T21:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T21:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/822494\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T21:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T21:38:13","slug":"estefania-ajcips-sculptural-paintings-unite-the-memories-of-a-separated-family-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/822494\/","title":{"rendered":"Estefania Ajcip’s Sculptural Paintings Unite the Memories of a Separated Family \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Through vivid sculptural paintings, Los Angeles-based artist Estefania Ajcip<\/a> peers in on the fractures families face when split apart. Ajcip spent much of her childhood in Guatemala, while her father worked in L.A. and missed pivotal moments of her youth. In a new body of work titled Folded Memories, the artist contends with this adolescent experience, extrapolating her recollections into poignant compositions filled with a longing for connection.<\/p>\n

From birch plywood, papier mache, small LED lights, and acrylic, Ajcip constructs a surreal world in which childhood grief and dreams converge. She often works from family photos, pulling scenes and objects from her home and pushing them into a fantastical realm. \u201cMomo 2012,\u201d for example, depicts two adults grasping hands, while an opening in the wood reveals a forlorn girl and her paper train set. <\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cTelephone game\u201d (2026), birch plywood sheet, foam board, thread, matte gel, acrylic on panel, 36 x 24 x 8 inches<\/p>\n

Separations and fissures recur throughout the pieces, evoking the distance between Acjip and her father, while new details are revealed or concealed depending on the viewer\u2019s perspective. In \u201cTelephone game,\u201d the artist appears with a paper phone and string held up to her ear, while her father stands at a public payphone that juts out from the two-dimensional canvas.<\/p>\n

A similar perspective shift occurs in \u201cFour paths\/Two paths?\u201d as a sculptural bus shuttling between L.A. and Guatemala. The latter\u2019s national bird flutters at the vehicle\u2019s front window, leading the way as a symbol of togetherness and hope. A statement adds that the piece most directly confronts \u201cthe familial unity that Ajcip so longed for throughout her childhood. Across the exhibition, Ajcip makes clear again and again how the longing that defined her youth now fuels her art, a powerful reminder that strength often grows in adversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Folded Memories is on view through August 22 at Charlie James Gallery<\/a> in Los Angeles. You also might be interested in the architectural portraits of Arghavan Khosravi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cMomo 2012\u201d (2026), birch plywood sheet, plywood, lights, acrylic on panel, 24 x 12 x 2 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cDo I pray for what is lost?\u201d (2026), birch plywood sheet, foam board, light, acrylic on panel, 18 x 22.5 x 4.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cDo I pray for what is lost?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cTo the last use\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cTo the last use\u201d (2026), birch plywood, foam, paper mache, acrylic on birch plywood, 36 x 27 x 7.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cBack to One\u201d (2026), birch plywood sheet, foam board, matte gel, acrylic on panel, 30 x 43 x 10 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cTelephone game\u201d <\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201ckeys to success\u201d (2026), birch plywood sheet, foam board, paper mache, thread, lights, acrylic on panel, 24 x 36 x 7 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cOn a corner (finger)\u201d (2026), birch plywood, foam board, paper mache, matte gel, acrylic on panel, 12 x 9 x 1.5 inches<\/p>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n

Hide advertising<\/p>\n

Save your favorite articles<\/p>\n

Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop<\/a><\/p>\n

Receive members-only newsletter<\/p>\n

Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/p>\n

\t