About the exhibition:

Because food is essential to life, it carries with it all the people, practices and places that nourish one’s survival. And what is food if not the product of a relationship between people and land? This relationship is at the heart of “Shared Ground,” an exhibition by Kathryn Pannepacker fellows Kalena Marshall Garcia and Yaqeen Yamani, proudly presented by Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Palestinian and Puerto Rican artists, respectively, Yamani and Marshall Garcia’s photography and audio and video installations celebrate ancestral ties to colonized land. Their work centers those who are still caring for the land and producing indigenous crops despite ongoing erasure. By showcasing the ways that food can be a vehicle for political expression and intimate connection, the exhibition acts as a catalyst to celebrate ancestral ties to land and an invitation to think about the origins of food as uniquely personal and political.

Shared Ground will be on view in Gallery 1 at Da Vinci Art Alliance September 4 through September 21with an opening reception on September 4th from 4-7pm.

Kalena Marshall Garcia and Yaqeen Yamani on “Shared Ground”

“As a Palestinian and a Puerto Rican artist, we find strength and inspiration in our shared struggles, and we are interested in exploring our solidarity through food and storytelling within our communities. Our work is deeply rooted in the resilience of our heritage, both of which highlight the connection of indigenous people to food, land, and home.

Food, for us, transcends mere sustenance; it is a powerful medium for political expression and intimate connection. Food gatherings are historically and culturally significant, and are often places where people can come together.  Food is a narrative device that tells stories of migration, displacement, and the longing for home. They are spaces of resistance and resilience, offering a sense of belonging and cultural exchange. At the same time, food unites and divides, includes and excludes. 

We look at food not merely as an act of nourishment but a vital tool for preserving and sharing knowledge about our past, understanding our present, and envisioning our future that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. This exhibition is not just about food; it is about sharing knowledge, reclamation, and honoring the spaces where our communities found strength and resilience.”

ABOUT THE FeATURED ARTISTS

Kalena Marshall Garcia (she/her/ella) is a lens-based artist born and raised in Southern California. She works primarily in traditional and alternative photographic processes. Her work explores  Diasporic Puerto Rican identity, queerness, domestic spaces, and issues her communities face. Marshall Garcia exists at the intersection of many marginalized communities. She strives to reclaim photography and utilize her privilege to make space for her communities to create awareness on the issues they face. 

Yaqeen Yamani (she/her) is a Yemeni Palestinian photographer and artist based in Jericho, Palestine.. Her art practice includes photography, video, and text based art. Her work explores themes of identity, rage, and grief. Through the use of language, image and text, Yamani has a previous body of work focused on micro-aggression in language and modes of resistance and intervention. Currently, she is working on a long term project focused on their relationship to a water spring in Jericho. Yamani is a recipient of the Arab Documentary Program at Magnum Foundation, Prince Claus Fund, and AFAC. 

ABOUT The Kathryn Pannepacker Track

Kathryn Pannepacker revitalized DVAA in 1997 and continues to work deeply in partnership with local communities around criminal justice, the opioid crisis, and the politics surrounding displacement. This Fellowship track offers an opportunity for one artist/curator to create an exhibition and related programming exploring social, political, and/or cultural content that engages local communities in and external to the DVAA space.