Orishas

ExhibitionPast

Jun 18

Ever Velasquez
Orishas

969 chung king road
JUNE 15 - JULY 20, 2024
OPENING RECEPTION: JUNE 15, 6-9pm

Charlie James Gallery is delighted to present our first solo show of collage works by LA-based artist and curator Ever Velasquez titled Orishas. The exhibition features four collage works on paper - each piece conceived and executed in homage to a particular Orisha. The term Orisha refers to gods and spirits worshiped by the Yoruba people of southern Nigeria. Orishas represent forces of nature that mediate between the supreme being Olodumare and the people of the earth. The two largest pieces in the exhibition are pieces dedicated to the most powerful female Orishas - Oshun and Yemeya. Oshun is commonly called the river goddess in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas, and, like other gods, she possesses human attributes such as vanity, jealousy, and spite. Yemaya symbolizes motherhood and nurturing, embodying unconditional love, compassion, and protection. Oshun and Yemeya are flanked by two pieces depicting masculine Orishas, Shango and Obatala. Shango is an Orisha associated primarily with dance, virility, lightning, and thunder. Obatala is the father of all Orishas, and is credited as the creator of the world and humanity. Obatala is the source of all that is pure, wise, peaceful, and compassionate. Ever’s collage works are all executed in paper and by hand, she then has the resulting paper collages scanned and printed as archival pigment prints in small signed and numbered editions.

Ever Velasquez (b. 1981, Los Angeles, CA) is an artist, curator and Santera/ Curandera based in Los Angeles. Known for her performative work and for her photo-based and collage works, Ever’s practice uses the visual language and history of Yoruba religious culture to explore the legacy of colonialism and its interconnections with indigenous spiritual traditions, with a focus on women’s issues. Ever is a fully initiated crowned priestess of Obatala in the Lucumi religion. Ever’s 2018 solo show Baños in Los Angeles exhibited photo-based works alongside a performance collaboration with LA-based artist rafa esparza. Ever exhibited Baños II in San Pedro, CA in 2019 with a new performance piece at Angels Gate Cultural Center. Ever’s work has been exhibited in group exhibitions including Continuum at Sofi Stadium - part of the Kinsey Collection exhibition, in Raiz at Thinkspace / Tlaloc Studios in Los Angeles, CA, as well as in exhibitions at the Brand Library and Art Center, at Charlie James Gallery, Sovern Los Angeles, the South Gate Museum, and The Museum Of Museums in Seattle, WA. Ever curated the group show Ni de Aqui ni de Alla at Charlie James Gallery in July 2021. In 2022 she curated the much lauded group exhibition Rostro, also at Charlie James, and followed that up in 2023 with the curated group show Ahorita!. Ever is also a writer and editor of Razorcake, one of the longest-standing and most substantial non-profit punk zines. Ever has facilitated zine- making workshops for LAUSD, Self Help Graphics, and The Huntington Library. Her writings for Razorcake have included cover stories with famous musicians and one of her essays is in the permanent collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

IG: @ever.a.k.a.thegirlabouttown