THE SKY IS OF THE SAME COLOR WHEREVER YOU GO

Chinatown Soup is pleased to present The sky is of the same color wherever you go, an exhibition of cyanotype on canvas, mountains, seas, and skies by Lara Atallah that is on view March 16 - March 29, 2020. Please join us for an opening reception on Friday March 20 from 6 to 9pm.

And now, a message from the artist…

Start with place and then branch out as far as your mind can take you. How does it feel to be where you are?

There, under the luminescence of a dizzying sun, I am caught between two oceans, each tugging at me, asking that I choose a home like I would a jacket. Sand mirrors back the sky that mirrors back the ocean. The feedback loop eludes us. Yet, the sky remains unwavering as the waves carrying its image continue to swarm the land like a conqueror claiming a territory.

Tell me, what does it mean to be from somewhere or the other?

I am lost under the rays of an opalescent light piercing its way through a stream of clouds. Some of them travel over American skies, others careen over Beirut, on their way to Tokyo.

Tell me, can you tell which is which? What are we if not transient beings at the mercy of manmade gods, manufactured nation-states, and blameless men posing as kings.

Lara Atallah is a New York-based artist and writer. Her practice is informed by her interest in the political nature of landscape and the power it holds to reshape our perception of borders. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is part of the Onassis Cultural Foundation's collection in Athens. Recent exhibitions include the American University Museum and Trestle Gallery.