2025 Shows
Kitsch-en Sink
Curated by Tri.
(Photos unavailable due to technical issues)
This show honors our first year in this space and highlights our beloved community that we have been so fortunate to build over this past year. The work showcased here is a mixed bag of meaning and executions to allow our community to show us their distinctive individual style and approach to the art of neon. Without intention the work featured here embodies a notion of neon’s unique aspects. Neon in itself is a scientific exploration of materiality which we see in the works of Patrick Fina’s study titled Oscillating Waveforms and Lena Key’s UV reactive phosphor exploration in Forever Flowers. Outside of this science, neon possesses an ability to capture and radiate raw emotion like the works of Taylor Healy’s fragile and Victoria Hill’s Sober. Lastly, the medium is known for its ability to be whimsically kitsch like the works of Samantha Reed’s Sun, Star, Universe and Elizabeth Evan’s Lamp with Nose. Each work in this show represents the uniqueness that makes neon special through the lens of our beloved patrons, which in turn highlights the beauty that is the Lightwriters community: curious, passionate, and a little silly (in the best ways imaginable).
Artists featured: Carolyn Kassnoff, Patrick Fina, Rea-Silvia Emmanouil, Mark Phan, Rebecca Krammer, Samantha Reed, Taylor Healy, Rex Cassidy, Victoria Hill, Elizabeth Evans, and Lena Bobbye Keys.
tri.accord
Curated by Tri.
(Documented by McKenzie Fitz)
Tri.Accord, a collaborative solo exhibition that transforms the language of emotion into sculptural form through the innovative work of Tri. This compelling show examines how feelings manifest physically in our bodies while celebrating the collaborative spirit that fuels artistic creation.
Drawing inspiration from the transformative light found in 90s anime classics like Sailor Moon, Pokémon, and Digimon, the artist has developed a distinctive practice centered on the cartoon-styled heart as a universal symbol of human emotion. The exhibition features works that give physical form to abstract feelings – from concrete sculptures representing "a heavy heart" to heart-shaped mirrors exploring themes of validation and self-reflection.
Artists featured: Tri, Destiny Ryan, Jazzy Okami, Zoelle Nagib.
Garden in Bloom: Nature Neon
Curated by Tri.
(Documented by McKenzie Fitz)
Formed around popular beliefs, images, and objects consumed by the masses, Pop defines various aspects of our being, whether we intend for it to or not. It often shapes the ways in which we interact with the world due to its overwhelming influence on our daily lives. Some may find the idea fun, and community oriented whereas others may criticize it from mass consumption to its negative influences. This show examines the ways in which pop culture surrounds us and reflects upon its dominating force that finds its way into the world of art.
Artists featured: Tri, Sydney Gush, Amelia Bodenhorst, Kacie Lees, Matthew Jacob, Diamond Doodles, Samantha Reed, Yiwei Leo Wang, Lena Bobbye Keys, Carolyn Kassnoff, and Keny De La Peña.
Ascendancy of Pop
Curated by Tri.
(Documented by McKenzie Fitz)
As humans advance with theoretical concepts of capital gain, the wondrous natural world suffers from over consumption. Many of us have lost our connection to the earth, our first Mother, and have lost our way from the roots that have provided us exponential growth as a species. The earth provides us with countless resources from the air we breathe to plants and animals we eat. Its significance is something we must be reminded of and not take for granted. Often used to promote consumerism, neon calls upon one’s undivided attention and allures them into a reactionary response. Neon is rooted in a tradition of promotion, advertisement, and consumer culture, and we often forget the organic materials used to create it such as fire, breath, and glass. Garden in Bloom: Nature Neon asks the viewer to see the inherent nature in neon while being reminded of our connection to greater ecosystems through the lustful allure of a city glow. From provocative eroticism such as an eagle's mating ritual seen in Emma Varano’s Release, to a butterfly’s journey of life found through Daniella Thach’s Butterfly Net; the observer is asked to consider how different they are from the beasts displayed before them in these pieces. While the observer connects with their feral side they are greeted with serenity from Leticia Maldonado’s El Conejo moon, and the simple joys found through the imagery of Megan Stelljes’ Pilchuck Flowers. In the end, the viewer is asked to consider the duration and value of life through the temporality of JiaHao Peng’s floral based installations which start fresh, but will wither over the duration of this exhibition. All these works are crafted by human hands, a natural method of creation. Their imagery connects to the beauty of plants and animals, and ushers visitors into an illuminated garden made of glass and light. This garden is in hopes that we don’t lose sight of this wondrous world, and to help guide us back to it. As humans we must remember we are a part of nature and not the capitalist system that threatens our lives.
Artists featured: JiaHao Peng, Megan Stelljes, Leticia Maldonado, Daniella Thach, and Emma Varano.
Grit by Nature, Elegant by Desire: Neon in Design
Curated by Tri and Grace Oller.
(Documented by McKenzie Fitz)
With neon’s rich history in the advertisement industry, it has long been associated with a kitschy, campy aesthetic utilized in nightlife in order to grab one’s attention. But what happens when the bold and bright tubes are integrated into contemporary forms of design and stripped bare of their signage history? This exhibition recognizes the nostalgic energy of neon and seeks to modernize this classic media through its relationship with other forms of design. When paired with highly stylized furniture, fixtures, and graphic design, the maximalist nature of neon can be subdued into a minimal gesture.
Artists featured: FÁTIMA, Fatimah Abuelenein, Adelaide Jimin Kong, Ethan Samaha, Yu Liang, Lena Bobbye Keys, Alex Jarus, Spencer Wohlrab, and Spencer Gale.
(Im)perceptible: the Queer and Now
Curated by Tri.
(Documented by McKenzie Fitz)
The fear of what’s ahead may create a daunting and debilitating reality in our present minds where we lose parts of ourselves. There’s no denying that what is upon us is scary, but we must carry on and do what we can to support one another. It is a power greater than anything to love the earth, our people, and one’s self, because with love comes a great strength of joy. As long as love is prioritized, the pain of this moment won’t last forever. This exhibition showcases the voices of the queers of right now, but we wouldn’t be here without the queers that came before us: queers who existed loudly in worlds that lacked any bit of mainstream appeal, and who fought for us to be here. To live authentically as one’s self is an act of defiance in the name of love that opposes the voices of bigotry. To live freely may fuel outrage in others who are unwilling to understand their own identity, but it is through this freedom that we make room for those who are ready to learn, and understand. This is the legacy of the queers, and like our elders, it is our duty to preserve this tradition for future generations. This show is dedicated to the femmes, butches, enbies, and every queer in between from every point in time, but especially those in the now. It is our time. Thank you.
Artists featured: Tali Halpern, Yaelin Calages Kim, Samantha Reed, Kenzie Lipe, Victoria Hill, Samuel Schwindt, Yiwei Leo Wang, Zoelle Nagib, Emma Varano, McKenzie Fitz, Elizabeth Evans and Francis Karisny.