Events and Press
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!
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.
Last 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.
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 InterviewSouth valley magazine
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