Alessandra Stradella and her Pop-Up exhibition “Transistions” in support of the Bethesda Project

Alessandra Stradella has been a member of DVAA since 2019 and creates abstract paintings that combine her passions of philosophy, meditation, and tango, interested in showing the physicality of the body and mind required in making of a piece of art. She approached the DVAA team in April wanting to curate a pop-up exhibition in our Gallery 3 space on the third floor that demonstrates a shifting she’s experiencing within her life and how that shift can allow her to give back to others. A transition of transitions, as she puts it. Below is an interview between Alessandra and Sam, DVAA’s Co-Executive Director, about the intent behind this exhibition and her decision to donate proceeds of the sales from this exhibition to The Bethesda Project.

Sam: “First things first, the newer work within this exhibition feels like such a departure from what we’ve been seeing you create over the last three years. Specifically, you’ve been using a lot of whites, blacks, and yellows in your paintings since 2020, and this new series lays over those colors with blues and green, was that a conscious decision?”

Alessandra: “I started my previous body of work processing the death of my father during the first year of the pandemic and it felt almost offensive to use color within that work. When I had my solo exhibition, In Memoriam, last October it felt like both a relief to finally finish up that chapter of my life, but also during the months following it, I still felt like I was holding onto some part of that, a longing to not let go. I recently took a trip to New Mexico and was inspired by all of the blues I saw and found a sense of adventure again within my work. I’m having fun trying out colors I usually wouldn’t use to test myself and not be reliant on what I already know. What happens when I’m exploring the unknown?”

Sam: “Thinking about the title of your pop-up exhibition, Transitions, it feels like you’re giving yourself grace to close a door and see what opens next. What are you up to!”

Alessandra: “I’m on sabbatical at work next semester and spending the next few months giving myself the freedom to flow and being open to what happens next. Giving up my apartment in Philly and not having the sense of shelter I’m used to is scary, but I’m excited about the possibilities of the unknown. This summer I’ll be attending a residency for four weeks where a lot of people are coming and going throughout the month. I’m most excited for the communal input I’ll receive and how that influences the work I’m creating.

The exhibition is confirming this sense of movement, the transition, I’m currently within. After my last show, I thought I was in a block, but when packing for this move I realized I actually had been creating a lot of new work and saw without even realizing, I had begun to move past that section of my life I thought I was stuck within. This exhibition is a release of the last six months, a story of what is now but also what is next, and a bit of reassurance.”

Sam: “How did you come to the decision of donating the proceeds of your work to The Bethesda Project? Where did that interest come from?”

Alessandra: “Does art need to feel justified, or can it exist just as it is? Can art exist as its own in a world with so many issues? I felt like with my last show I gave space for other people to find their own feelings within my work, but I wanted to find another way to give back to others. I make the work that I want to make, and I want to engage with socio-political issues by donating some of the proceeds to issues and people I care about who don’t have the same resources I do. Art CAN be engaging, even when creating abstracted work if there’s something else helpful produced from it. I don’t think there’s a possibility of artistic block if there’s a purpose stronger than my own journey in creating benefiting from it.

Philadelphia has been such a transformational place for me, I healed from cancer here, discovered my love of tango here, discovered painting here, I wanted to donate to somewhere local that helps other people in the same way I was helped and help move them towards their next transition. I found Bethesda Project and decided to donate to them because they’re clear about how their money is used and they help people who are experiencing housing insecurity find some sense of stability. When I was selling my work during the Everyday Futures Fest Block Party, someone from the Bethesda Project by chance happened to walk by and we started talking about other ways I could help. I’m really excited to work collaboratively with a space doing such important work and when I’m back in Philadelphia I’m planning to donate some of my work to decorate their spaces and teach workshops that help people express their emotions through the use of paint.

This exhibition is an ending point for a new beginning. I still hold a feeling of loss, but something has shifted, I see new beginnings and am excited for how this informs what comes next.”

Alessandra Stradella’s pop-up exhibition, Transitions, will be on view in DVAA’s third floor gallery space from May 31st – June 4th, 2023 with a reception held on June 3rd from 4pm – 7pm. 40% of sales from the show go directly to Bethesda Project. Art can be purchased during the length of the exhibition at the Gallery or online at www.davinciartalliance.org/shopDVAA