Sylvia Ji with her work
A sort of homecoming for the artist, Sylvia Ji’s (featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 16) solo show, “Interwoven,” opened at San Francisco’s Fecal Face Dot Gallery last Friday. For this new series of paintings, Ji, who is now based in LA, covered her figures in meticulously-crafted patterns based on the traditional Mexican pottery and textiles that surrounded her during her childhood in San Francisco’s Mission District — the neighborhood where the show took place. Draped in richly colored fabrics, her shrouded female characters appear almost deified; the patterns give way to optical illusions that become unexpectedly visible like supernatural sightings. “I paint this [traditional] imagery because I want to honor it… and show its beauty through my own interpretation,” Ji said when asked about her attraction to Latin American folk art and culture. “Interwoven” was greeted by enthusiastic viewers eager to lean in and absorb the paintings’ copious details. Take a look at some exclusive opening night photos below and see the show at FFDG through August 10.
Sylvia Ji, Henry Lewis and a friend
Artist Alex Pardee