DONNABELLE CASIS | OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY OCTOBER 14th 6-8pm
Live jazz piano by Rob Fontana
*Masks are recommended.
Donnabelle Casis is a Filipina-American woman artist working in Western Massachusetts. She is fascinated by visual perception and how meaning is derived from what we see. Casis looks for hidden geometries which may connect discrete perspectives to form a greater whole. Her current works explore the relationship of personal identity to visual systems of signification in both ancient and modern cultures. Donnabelle draws from various sources such as Filipino tribal tattoos and textiles, facial recognition software, cosmology and the philosophy of metaphysics, among others. Filipino tribal imagery is tied to storytelling, marks of accomplishment, and societal roles. Facial recognition software maps physical characteristics which determine one’s visual identity. Her interest in the tangible universe and what transcends experience helps her understand her place in the world and beyond.
Donnabelle earned an MFA in painting from the University of Washington in Seattle. She primarily works as a painter, but she has recently explored creating interactive, kinetic sculpture installations. She will install a version of "Kinetic Peripatetic" at Click Workspace to be experienced for one night only during the opening reception on October, 14th.
Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the US and abroad at venues including Platform Gallery, PULP, Albany Center Gallery, Tacoma Art Museum, Newport Art Museum, among others. Donnabelle has received numerous awards and grants, including the Neddy Artist Fellowship for painting granted by the Behnke Foundation, and grants from the Northampton Arts Council/Massachusetts Cultural Council. Her work is included in several public and private collections. Additionally, she hosts a weekly radio segment called ArtBeat Report which highlights local artists and arts organizations on Fridays on the Bill NewmanShow/WHMP. Donnabelle is also co-curator at the ArtSalon and is a Board member of Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity. She also founded and continues to produce an annual community arts street festival called Florence Night Out.
Here is a video of her recent kinetic art installation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBRiZy_zwTs&t=352s
A profile on NEPM's Connecting Point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1aApLiDTcI
A recent conversation at STCC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr5kdSQ0VCc
For more information, visit www.donnabellecasis.com
