Friday, November 2nd was the opening for the All Saint’s Day show at 161 West. I shared the space with the work of Mike Ellyson, which couldn’t have been a better match. Our work, heavily influenced by religious symbolism and imagery, nicely complimented a day that celebrates All Saint’s Day as well as Day of the Dead. 161 West, a gallery in the Fishtown area of Philadelphia, once housed a die cut factory, giving it a large space with high walls. This space worked well to create a church-like atmosphere, which worked perfectly with our work.
Many thanks to Jessica Murphy for setting these up! These little altars she made definitely made my calavera stickers a lot more eye catching!
Once it got late, we turned out the lights for a more appropriate ambiance
Mike Ellyson’s altar to college football. This epic installation features an altar surrounded by 245 paintings, each one representing an individual college football team. An undertaking that took 3 years, this was the first time all of them were shown together.
The show will be up a couple weeks, so be sure to check it out if you are in the Fishtown area. You can contact the gallery for times, or set up an appointment.
Check out more of Mike Ellyson’s work at www.mikeellyson.com
Josean Rivera 