Join us for an in-person reception with ArtSpan Artists Sylvie McClelland & Robin Varguez.
Thursday, December 1st, 2022
5PM – 7PM PT
80 Turk St, San Francisco
Stop by to view these expressive works in person! Sylvie McClelland & Robin Varguez will be present for a brief artist talk and will be available for questions and praise of their work in the lobby and mezzanine areas of CounterPulse. Exhibition on view at CounterPulse is accessible by attending an event at 80 Turk St.
Exhibition on view through December 19th, 2022
Learn more about these artists and purchase their work
One can request to see the artwork in-person by contacting [email protected].
Featured Images: “lol its not enough” by Sylvie McClelland and “The Devil Can’t Heal” by Robin Varguez
About Sylvie McClelland
My background directly informs my identity and in turn, my paintings. My family is working class and ethnically/culturally mixed. My father was a therapist and social worker and he worked to reconnect with his roots and to heal the intergenerational trauma in our family. These struggles have found their way into my work. As I had to turn away from my own art making in order to survive, it seemed particularly important to explore the themes relating to why that was. These include psychology, family/relational stories, the experience of being mixed-race/cultural, and gender/queer identity. My work visually explores the construct of the human self and identity. As we move forward through life, our memories, relationship experiences, and physical and emotional connections to the natural world keep us moored to our growing self. I’m fascinated by the stories people tell themselves about who they are and I layer imagery to create an emotional mirror for the viewer. Being queer and having a culturally mixed family, it is particularly important to me to portray subjects that aren’t part of the mainstream art world. Yet though my work is intimate and sensitive in theme, it is bold and brave in execution. The use of color is of great importance to me: I greatly enjoy it and I have come to realize after reconnecting to my heritage/the stories in my family that the use, even the overuse of color, has been very rewarding as a reclaiming of culture and space. Through natural imagery and symbolism, I use these colors to create glazed settings for my subjects. When viewing my work, I hope that the observer sees not only someone else’s story, but also finds a place to resonate and consider their own perception of self and being. www.sylviemcclelland.com
About Robin Varguez
I paint as a gender nonbinary oil painter born in Merida, Mexico. I am usually the person with the loudest laugh in the room. My paintings depict the vibrant palette of my upbringing in the Yucatan and the gold and brown tones of life in California. It is passionate, ardent. It wants you to see it. My work straddles surrealism, magical realism, and the connections and alienation of everyday life. My subjects include hybrid creatures, feminists, fauna, Catholic twists and queer iconography. I welcome you to whatever emotional experience it engenders in you. www.instagram.com/theartofvarguez
About ArtSpan
ArtSpan believes in the power of art to enrich lives. For 20-plus years we’ve championed an inclusive art experience and provided diverse audiences with an authentic connection to local art and artists. We support emerging and established artists who contribute to San Francisco’s inimitable creative energy, while bolstering the next generation of artists and encouraging the public to engage in preserving and furthering our vibrant art community. www.artspan.org