The Center for the Arts is pleased to present Forest Aliya’s solo exhibition Elemental Beings, on display in The Granucci Gallery from April 26th through June 1st. Aliya will transform the gallery space with color, light, and 2 interactive sound experiences.
Elemental Beings is a collection of stories about the integration of sound and light and how the natural cycles of the elements (fire, water, earth, air) are in harmony by being in a constant state of balancing and rebalancing through symbiotic relationships. The exhibition is a collection of acrylic, oil, and clay paint on paper and wood panels with sound.
“In my good fortune, when I see harmonies of color I hear harmonies of sounds; I have a synesthetic experience. In this series of my work, symphonies of color and sound are expressed with abstract compositions of color, mushrooms, plant life, animals, moon cycles, and figures. I have created places of now, new beginnings, perspectives that embody temporalities and materialities, peace, abundance, communities, paradoxes, and journeys. Color holds narratives we can experience with our naked eye. My soundscapes unify the work by giving substance to the concepts we cannot readily see or give words to.”
Forest Aliya was originally from Knoxville, TN and currently resides in Nevada City with her son. She received her Master of Fine Arts from Pacific Northwest College of the Arts in 2019 with focus on color theory, abstract painting, and soundscapes. 2020-2021 she received a Holographic Sound Healing Certificate from Dr. Paul Hubbert in Austin, TX. Her work has been exhibited in San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Santa Fe, NM; and Portland, OR. Her work has been published in “Music, Art, Lit” magazine 2020; “Contemporary Artist” 2023 Spring Edition by Jen Tough Gallery; “Art Close Up” December 2023; and “100 Emerging Artworks: Women’s Edition” 2023 by Art to Hearts Project. Her work is held in private collections. To name a few: San Francisco, CA; Cape Town, South Africa; Ashland, OR; Seattle, WA; Grass Valley, CA; and Davis Medical Center Davis, CA. Her public mural art resides in Berkeley, CA; Oakland, CA; Napa, CA; Grass Valley, CA; and Nevada City, CA.
“I define my work as a Timescape—a narrative of collective places that I have experienced from within the physical world and the mind’s eye. I bring these places and experiences together to create a portal to a world that has not been fully manifested on earth… My art is an expression of time, space, and energy interacting… I choose paint because of how light creates colors by bending a certain way. By mixing colors I am creating light from within. I choose sound because sound and light creates forms with the energy of the elements. I choose a two-dimensional surface because it becomes a portal into imagination.”
Elemental Beings will be on display in The Granucci Gallery from April 26th through June 1st, 2024. Please join us for the opening reception on May 3rd from 5-7 pm and view this exceptionally bright and engaging body of work. Meet Forest Aliya at the opening reception, which is free to the public, and enjoy light snacks as well as wine and beer available for purchase.
In accompaniment to her solo exhibition, Elemental Beings, Forest Aliya will also be offering a very unique, live soundscape experience using a mix of singing bowls, harp, and banjo on Sunday, May 26th from 1-2:30pm in The Granucci Gallery. This is a ticketed event with limited spots so please plan ahead. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online. Guests are asked to bring their own blankets and pillows to lie upon during the soundscape experience. There will be an introduction by the artist with a Q&A session to follow.
Please join us in The Granucci Gallery Tuesday through Friday from 12-5pm to view the exhibition from April 26th through June 1st, and experience the live soundscape on May 26th by purchasing tickets through The Center for the Arts website.
WHAT: Forest Aliya “Elemental Beings” WHERE: The Center for the Arts | 314 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945
WHEN:Opening Reception: Friday, May 3, 2024 • 5 – 7pm
Live Soundscape: Sunday, May 26, 2024 • 1 – 2:30pm
Exhibition Dates: April 26 – June 1, 2024
TICKETS: Live Soundscape Experience $10 https://thecenterforthearts.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0F6g00000MembbEAB Reception FREE https://thecenterforthearts.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0F6g00000MembgEAB
WEBSITE & INFO: thecenterforthearts.org | (530) 274-8384