The second round of the Artists on Site initiative by Houston-based Asia Society Texas is in full swing now through Sunday, September 12. The program provides working studio space and funding to Houston-based BIPOC artists, and includes a $1,750 artist stipend, $500 for materials, and a dedicated space for seven weeks. “By using the galleries as public-facing studio spaces, each artist shares their unique process with visitors, who will be able to see the artists’ ideas and research take shape as the residency unfolds.”
This year’s featured artists are presented below (information via Asia Society Texas):
Bennie Flores Ansell’s work initially dealt with concepts of race, ethnicity, beauty, and the objectified female, which further led to explorations of the loss and retention of the photographic object due to the rapid change within the medium, as well as the inherent racism built into the chemical make-up of color film. Flores Ansell was born in Manila, Philippines and her formative years were lived in the United States. She is a Professor in the Art Department of the Houston Community College. Her degrees include an MFA from the University of Houston, a BA from the University of South Florida, and she was an American Photography Institute Fellow at New York University.
Guadalupe Hernandez creates works inspired by his Mexican heritage, exploring aspects of his Mexican identity through the lens of people, places, and memories from his childhood in Mexico. His works have been exhibited in museums and juried exhibitions, including at the Holocaust Museum Houston. He recently participated as the Changarrito Artist-in-Residence with the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, Texas.
Preetika Rajgariah is an interdisciplinary artist whose works examine the complicated intersections of cultural identity, race, capitalism, and sexuality while referencing her traditional upbringing as an Indian-born American. Rajgariah has attended residencies at Oxbow School of Art, ACRE, Vermont Studio Center, and the School of Visual Arts, and she has exhibited and performed in spaces such as Western Exhibitions and Roots & Culture in Chicago as well as Art League Houston, Lawndale Art Center, and Women & Their Work in Texas.
Stevie Spurgin is an interdisciplinary artist from Marfa, Texas, who recently graduated with her MFA from the University of Houston. Spurgin earned a BA in Film, Television, and Digital Media with an emphasis in special effects makeup from Texas Christian University. Spurgin’s studio practice challenges the societal standard of the “normal,” “beautiful,” and “gross,” focusing on what we typically cast away. Her work has been featured in: Evidence Tampered at Alabama Song in Houston, Texas, the 2019 University of Houston’s School of Art Annual Student Exhibition at the Blaffer Art Museum, a 2019 performance of 40 (something) Lipsticks at the Blaffer Art Museum’s Convergence Research, and most recently in Annex Energy at Sawyer Yards’ Site Gallery.
Admission to the galleries to visit and witness the artists working is free, and virtual artist talks will be announced soon. A closing reception will be held Thursday, September 9th, at the Asia Society Texas Center in Houston.
For more information on Asia Society Texas, please go here. For more on its ‘Artists on Site’ program, please go here.
