Fine Art Photographer Joseph Fraia joins Sojourner Gallery in Hudson Yards, NY for its inaugural exhibit. Opening reception on February 09, 2023
New York - February 6, 2023 – New York fine art photographer Joseph Ralph Fraia is one of the artists joining the collective show ‘Sojourner,’ the inaugural juried exhibition curated by Kyoko Sato of the new Midtown location of Time Arts Gallery NYC that has its center of operations in the West Village.
The new gallery’s name is also Sojourner, and it will host its opening reception on February 9, 2023, from 6 to 8 pm.
Joseph will present the work ‘Glam Cowboy,’ his personal take on the exhibition's theme, centered on all the people who travel at, pass by, stop by, temporarily live, or cross paths in that spinning whirlpool of humanity and destinies that is New York City.
His muse in the artwork is Shinyong, a Japanese cross-dresser, performer, singer, and model who lives in Detroit but once in a while storms New York with her talent. In this artwork, she expresses the freedom of unleashed imagination that America allows, with its extremes and excesses. Masterfully combining make-up from the kabuki theater tradition, the iconic American cowboy imagery, and the glam revolution from the City’s ‘70s club scene, the image summarizes everything that makes New York a unique place.
“I am very proud to present this work of mine, to which I have a special emotional attachment, in a new formidable art space in the heart of the new, futuristic neighborhood of Manhattan,” said Joseph when reached out for comments.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, a sojourner is a temporary resident, a stranger, or a traveler who dwells in a place for a time.
Globalization is giving us a new dimension of space and distance. According to the last US Census, 36% of New York’s population is foreign-born, and the City’s art scene has been greatly influenced by such sojourners, who have significantly contributed to art history.
Historically, the center of art shifted from Europe to New York when preeminent artists moved West during the Second World War. The incomprehensible devastation caused by WWII triggered those sojourners to reconsider where they belonged and what belonged on their canvases. As a result, Abstract Expressionism was born: a rejection of the traditional, the rational, and the norm in exchange for an intangible expression of feeling. What world exists, or can exist, when it is no longer recognizable and doesn’t feel like yours? To stand still is not an option; one must go beyond to find new truths or create new ones.
We live in similarly challenging times. So who are the sojourners of these days? How are they manifesting their art, or what do they look like? This exhibition tries to answer that question.
Sojourners may be found in every aspect of our world and beyond, leaving as quickly as they arrive. In search of something new, they might merge with the existent or create a space in which they belong. But, ultimately, aren’t we all sojourners: we are born on Earth, we stay for a brief time, then we return to where we came from.
The Exhibition will run from February 9 through March 15, 2023
Opening reception is on February 9, 2023, from 6 to 8 pm
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/527763112677
Located at 446 West 34th Street, 4th floor, NY, 10001
For info and inquiries, email newyork@timeartsus.com.
Artists: Andrew Chan | Arlene Rush | Chihiro ITO | China Blue | Chin Chih Yang | Ebenezer Singh | Egon Zippel | Franck Saïssi | Isolde Kille | Joseph Ayers | Joseph Fraia | Kate Fauvell | Kenji Kojima | Lilia Ziamou | Lily Kostrzwa | Loy Luo | Max Fujishima | Michele Brody | Nina Sobell | Ola Rondiak | Richard Rothenberg | Sadie Bridger | Seth Ellison | Taiyo Okamoto | Takuya Sugiyama | Tom Judd | Toshiki Hayasaka | William Evertson | Yoyo Xiao | Yuji Hamamura | Yukari Edamitsu | Zhang Lanjun | Zhang Zheyi