SaveArtSpace is proud to present BLOOM, a public art exhibition in Oakland, CA, starting June 12, 2023.

The BLOOM selected artists are Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh, Lindsey Filowitz, & Alex Sodari. Curated by BLOOM Collective.

BLOOM is a curatorial collective based in Oakland, CA that champions local artists of color and queer/trans artists, especially those in the early stages of their careers. We are cooperatively run and care deeply about equity and access in our local arts community. Together, we curate new art shows and spaces that seek to transcend the often-exclusionary white-walled gallery and instead showcase the vibrant, the weird, and the beautiful perspectives of East Bay art and performance.

During the week of June 12, 2023, SaveArtSpace will launch public art installations for each selected work on billboard ad spaces in Oakland, CA. The public art will be on view for at least one month.

Selected Artists

Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh Paradise, Expectant, The Response to Displacement is Replacement

Location: Broadway & 40th St, Oakland, CA

Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh is a first generation Afro-Caribbean visual and teaching artist who lives and works in the unceded land of the Ohlone people (Oakland,CA). Her mixed media artwork is inspired by memory, family stories, her cultural heritage in Diaspora, and the natural world, as well as the shifting urban landscape.

Dawline-Jane pulls images from her self constructed archives and combines techniques such as relief printmaking, painting and drawing to tell stories of the world as she experiences it. 

Ms. Oni-Eseleh attended The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and has exhibited her work in spaces across the United States and internationally. Her illustration work has been featured in The LA Times, Science Friday, ProPublica and Teen Vogue.  

Connect with Dawline-Jane on Instagram at @disfordilettante, or on Twitter at @dawlinejane_art.

Location: Grand Ave & Boulevard Way, Oakland, CA

Lindsey Filowitz (b. 1989, Brooklyn, NY) is Peruvian-American Jewish image-based media and installation artist, photographer, performer, and illustrator. Her work addresses transformation (physical and mental) within herself and others, personal identity, societal pressures and confines, interior spaces, family or is a socio/political response. She has exhibited in the Bay Area, New York, and Los Angeles, as well as internationally. She received her BFA in Photography from Bard College and currently lives and works in Oakland, CA.

“Impressions” are photographs of pressed flowers folded between and peeled apart to create a non-symmetrical mirror image. These moldy flowers embody the ephemeral nature of relationships, and how we are left only with the impression of another after they have gone.

Connect with Lindsey on Instagram at @lindseyfil.

Location: International Blvd & 10th Ave, Oakland, CA

Alex Sodari (he/they) is an Mexican-American artist based in Oakland. His work is inspired by his community, comic books, folk art, history, and the natural world. A graduate in Illustration from the California College of the Arts, they are also a cofounder of the Mission Art and Comic Expo, an event highlighting Queer and POC artists in San Francisco. My artwork is an extension of my queer identity and intersectional perspective as a Mexican-American artist. Through my paintings and illustrations, I maintain a connection with my culture and share the joy and warmth in my heritage and queerness.

Connect with Alex on Instagram at @sodapaints.

Curators

Callan Porter-Romero grew up in a Black, Japanese, and Mexican household in Oakland, CA. Her artwork intentionally centers people from Black and Brown communities, using recycled material and paint to convey the weight of labor and invisible hardships. She is especially interested in how people reclaim their right to humanity despite capitalistic society emphasizing their replaceability.

Connect with Callan on Instagram at @hands4yomama.

Cassandra Rose Casares is an Oakland born and raised Xicana artist. She is also a walking descendant of 1st generation college students–her father, who was a migrant farm worker and her mother, the daughter of a farm worker. Her Xiicana roots are embedded in her art through the representation of agriculture, Mother Earth, and women. To combat consumerism, Cassandra uses old makeup to paint on canvas.

Connect with Cassandra on Instagram at @casares.official.

Angel Albie Anjos is a first-generation Brazilian-American. They are a multidisciplinary Queer and Trans artist based in Oakland, CA, working in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Anjos recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor's in Art Practice and a minor in Art History, primarily focusing on Painting and Ceramics. They use these practices as an introspective and reflective medium of the emotional and physical experience of queerness/transness.

Connect with Angel on Instagram at @angelalbieanjos.

Sam McGinnis is a multidisciplinary artist and organizer based in Oakland, CA. They are passionate about writing, zine-making, and making wearable pieces of art by hand, but more than anything, they care about watching young queer and trans artists succeed.

Connect with Sam on Instagram at @sammccginnis.

Mar Valle-Remond (they/any) is a Mexican immigrant lesboy creating art on Lamchin-Ohlone land. Through their work, they seek to explore how queerness, grief, and joy intertwine. In her free time, Mar advocates for COVID safety, spends time with loved ones, and seeks to cultivate a sense of wonder and radical hope in all aspects of their life.

Connect with Mar on Instagram at @m4rvall3.

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.