these illusory utopias
Aneesa Shami Zizzo and Yasmine Nasser Diaz
with special contributions by Sholeh Asgary and Fariha Róisín
September 19 - October 23, 2021
Regular viewing hours: Thursday - Saturday, 1:00-5:00pm
Opening Reception
2:00 - 5:00pm
Studio 203 (Culver City)
3440 Motor Ave, Suite 203, Los Angeles, CA 90034*
Masks to be worn indoors, 10 persons max at a time
*Please note the Studio is on the second floor, and only accessible by staircase.
Aneesa Shami Zizzo and Yasmine Nasser Diaz are pleased to present these illusory utopias, a two-person exhibition of new works on view here at Studio 203.
these illusory utopias is a dialogue between the two artists, working with different mediums and visual references that illustrate peculiar remnants and fantastical scenes– from both above and below the ocean’s surface. Diaz’s intricate collages on paper depict anomalous hybrid beings that coexist in Earth’s post-anthropocene oceans, alluding to a future of ecosystems less challenged by human interference.
Zizzo’s elaborate textile pieces narrate the destruction caused by a catastrophe similar to the explosion that occurred at the Port of Beirut last year, but which takes place within a parallel universe. The exhibit, which incorporates works on paper, sculptural textile, sound, and moving imagery, questions the current trend of utopian fantasies while invoking themes of ruination, recovery, and hope.
About Aneesa Shami Zizzo
Aneesa Shami Zizzo is an artist and researcher based in Los Angeles using recycled materials to create fiber art. Her work references the sublime and world mythologies to evoke a sense of the collective unconscious within her imagery. Shami holds Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in both Fiber and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute. She was the Textile Arts | Los Angeles AIR at Helms Design Center in 2018, and was a Fellow for the Mildred’s Lane Attention Labs: Order of the Third Bird in 2015. Shami’s work has been exhibited nationally in galleries and museums, including the Torrance Art Museum in Torrance, CA and the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art in San Luis Obispo, CA. She recently created costumes for Planet City (2020), directed by Liam Young, which was commissioned for the NGV Triennial 2020 in Melbourne, Australia and is currently on view at the Shanghai Biennale 2021 in Shanghai, China. Aneesa Shami is also the co-owner and director of Studio 203, an artist-run space in Los Angeles that collaborates with artists to create exhibitions and host workshops and performances.
www.aneesashami.com
@aneesashami
About Yasmine Nasser Diaz
Yasmine Nasser Diaz is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice weaves between culture, class, gender, religion, and family. She uses mixed media collage, immersive installation, fiber etching, and video to juxtapose disparate cultural references and to explore the connections between personal experience and larger social and political structures. Diaz is especially interested in complicated narratives of third-culture identity and their precarious invisibility/hyper-visibility.
Yasmine is a recipient of the Harpo Visual Artists Grant and the California Community Foundation Visual Artist Fellowship and has works included in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The University of California Los Angeles, and the Arab American National Museum. Her work has been featured in Artnet, HyperAllergic, Artsy, and Artillery Magazine. Yasmine is represented by Ochi Projects, Los Angeles, CA
www.yasminediaz.com
@yasmine.diaz
About Studio 203
Studio 203 is an artist-run space in Los Angeles that shares inspiring work by innovative people.
Located in a unique commercial building, the Studio operates as a white-walled gallery in the front and a working studio in the back. Our vision is to support fellow artists by providing an affordable platform in Los Angeles to help them follow their dreams. We collaborate with forward-thinking individuals to create exhibitions, host workshops and shape culture. Studio 203 was founded by Aneesa and Grant Zizzo and is the current site of Aneesa Shami Studio.