The Salon Series at FLATS Studio features guest curator Tempestt Hazel. Tempestt will be showcasing the illusory structures of Colombian-emigrated Diana Gabriel.
Tempestt Hazel is a curator, writer and co-founder of Sixty Inches From Center, an organization and weekly online publication that archives, promotes and collaborates with artists and arts initiatives across Chicago. Recent and upcoming projects include exhibitions and programs with the Contemporary Arts Council, Chicago Artists Coalition, Arts Incubator in Washington Park, Terrain Exhibitions and the South Side Community Art Center.
Diana Gabriel emigrated from Bogota, Colombia. She earned a BFA at Northern Illinois University before completing her MFA at Illinois State University in 2007. She currently teaches at Harper College in Palatine and College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. Gabriel also curates bimonthly exhibitions at Morton College in Cicero and is the co-founder of TheCGProject. Recently, her work has been exhibited at R&D Gallery, Design Cloud, Willis Tower, Evanston Art Center, TreeHouse Gallery and Jane Brandt Gallery.
“As a curious observer and vivid daydreamer, I create structures designed to be rooted somewhere between logic and daydream. Although I start with an understanding in the intention and dynamics of each piece, the execution is heavily based on process with limited planning. This allows for a playful practice that cycles action, reaction, serendipity, and improvisation. I aim for my process to equal the viewer’s experience, where repetition, color, and form are used as a phenomenological tools drawing viewers into an exploration between the part and the whole.”