Piercing the Veil: Works by Thony Aiuppy
EXHIBIT DATES
November 17 – January 26
“I started researching and uncovering truths that had been hidden concerning racism and discrimination in America, predominately in the South.
Digging deeper, I examined myself: where I fell short, harboring wrong ideas and slanted opinions about people who have been oppressed for hundreds of years…I became awakened to the blind spots in my life.” – Thony Aiuppy
Through paintings, collage, and sculptures that simultaneously conceal and reveal, artist Thony Aiuppy makes visible his role as witness to our collective histories. Drawing on years of authentic relationships, education, voracious reading, and self reflection, this body of work lifts up the share cropper, migrant worker, factory machinist, artist, and activist into iconic images demanding our recognition.
“Through the process of cutting, collaging, and draping, the artworks in Piercing the Veil perform the act of revealing preconceived ideas and exposing truths about disenfranchised demographics, not just in our nation, but in our own community. By peeling back layers of history, there is an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how African-American, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, and women (among others) are still treated today,” explains Aiuppy. “The act of work, in its various capacities, showcase how these groups have sweat and bled to develop and cultivate the American South, reaping little benefits.”
Yellow House is honored to turn over the entire space to this powerful work. Our hope is that it will serve as a backdrop for meaningful conversations, self-reflection, the honest sharing of lived experiences, and artful moments that will create a space of grace and safety for the often uncomfortable work of awakening and understanding.