Two elements around which this exhibition revolves—fire and water—bear a duality that finds resonance with the human experience: they are forces that simultaneously possess nurturing and destructive potentials. By referencing natural elements and using intentionally manipulated images, Sublimation examines what it feels like to be a person, community member, and artist at the beginning of the 21st century, touching on experiences of division, isolation, and grief. Dylan Zarate's multi-media works, infused with a strong dramaturgical and surreal presence, echo times of intense internal upheaval and turbulence; Zarate uses movement and distorted, obscured imagery to reveal a necessity for reclamation of self in times of severe detachment from nature. Shaan Ken Rao’s work draws on the isolation he experienced while grappling with addiction, and now investigates his sense of self, which he is rediscovering as he builds clean time in recovery; he strives to humanize addiction, normalize recovery for all addicts, and raise awareness about the opioid epidemic.

Now is a time of environmental and social cataclysms; although at times the future seems grim, we believe that destruction may encourage regrowth and rebuilding. Taking part in this process, art can aid in catalyzing habits to collectively ponder and contemplate, helping to cultivate a mindset of unison rather than discord.

My work aims to understand the intersections in which reality exists and how this reality can shape identity, both collective and individual. In this search for understanding, there is also a desire and longing that is present in the work to transcend the trappings of said reality. Informed by my own lived experience, as well as my inclination for both sociological and psychological observation, the art serves as a personal documentation of the world as experienced by me. As an artist, I work in several mediums, including but not limited to: sound, video, image, and sculpture. I work primarily in a stream-of-consciousness manner. Most pieces I create begin without a clear concept of what the finished work will look like and they are only complete when the final product feels like it has been fully realized and presents itself. Working in this way allows me to tap into the subconscious, which creates the dreamlike nature and surreality of my work.

Shaan Ken Rao is a multi-disciplinary artist born in New York City to a Japanese mother and Pakistani father. Shaan earned his BFA in Photography from Parsons in 2022. Since then, his work has been a part of numerous exhibitions in New York, including his first solo at All St Gallery in Manhattan. In addition to visual art, Shaan is a musician that goes by the name DINHO DINHO; in the last three years he has put out 3 albums on all streaming platforms. Shaan currently lives and works in NYC.