Park Slope Art Show Offers 'Presence' For Unrepresented

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Being unseen isn't the same as being absent for New York artist Alicia Grullón.

"Presence," a one-woman show featuring more than 15 years of Grullón's work, opens Feb. 6 at Old Stone House in Park Slope.

Grullón's artwork, from photographs to video to performance pieces, revolves around representing voices and people of color like herself who are often left out of art and history.

"Being ignored is almost a violent act," she said.

Grullón has worn colonial clothing in a Dutch Old Masters-style portraits and stuffed a letter from the Ferguson protests in her shoe while reenacting the Battle of Brooklyn from the Revolutionary War.

"She's inserting herself into this situation where people of color may have existed ... but were left out of history," said Katherine Gressel, who curated the show for Old Stone House.

The intersection of history and community is somewhat of a sweet spot for Old Stone House.

The building is an old Dutch farmstead and sits where the Battle of Brooklyn unfolded. It hosts a variety of community programs and Gressel said this show kicks off a year of exhibitions focused on community participation and civic engagement.

"Alicia's approach to looking critically at history and institutions, as well as amplifying the stories of underrepresented communities, really exemplifies what we try to do here at (Old Stone House)..." Gressel wrote.

Grullón called it "special" that her historically-focused work is being exhibited at Old Stone House.

Much of Grullón's work can be called self portraits, but often she plays the role of someone else, whether in history or the community. She wants to engage the audience in a dialogue between herself, other people history and all the spaces in between.

The show opens with a Feb. 6 reception followed by regular gallery hours every Friday from 3 to p.m. Appointments are also available.

The public is invited March 26 from 7-9 p.m. to view Storytelling, a performance for video in which Grullón re-enacts stories as told her her by seniors at Jackie Robinson Senior Center in Harlem.

More information about the show can be found at Old Stone House. Grullón's website features some of her artwork.