Joan Fabian: A Culture of Vertical Investigations: San Antonio

February 14 - March 9, 2024

  • Joan Fabian: A Culture of Vertical Investigations

    san antonio
  • Ruiz-Healy Art is pleased to present A Culture of Vertical Investigations, a solo exhibition of works by artist Joan Fabian, opening on Wednesday, February 14th, with an opening reception from 6:00-8:00 PM. A Culture of Vertical Investigations will be on view at our San Antonio gallery through March 9th, 2024. The collection of works embodies a lifetime of personal reflection through ancestry, regions, and intimate struggles. This project was made possible with the generous support of the City of San Antonio's Department of Arts & Culture #GetCreativeSA.
  • Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Installation images by Yadira Silva (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    Installation images by Yadira Silva

  • Fabian's mother was seven years old when she arrived to America from a small village in Slovakia on the RMS Olympic, the older sister ship of the Titanic. Numerous works honor this migration to the United States and unpacks the process of making a monumental ship. "There is a process of creating something, producing change, and causing awe that leads to hope for a better future."
  • Joan Fabian, Closet Full of Skeletons, 2023

    Joan Fabian

    Closet Full of Skeletons, 2023
    The COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for Fabian to become reflective about her past and her future. This led to Fabian asking many questions, "When we go through a challenge, we investigate what we desire: a place to be safe in, where we live a better life. How does one make a home where there is turmoil and destruction?"
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    Joan Fabian Fear of the Bogeyman, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Joan Fabian Fear of the Bogeyman, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Joan Fabian Fear of the Bogeyman, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Joan Fabian Fear of the Bogeyman, 2023 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Joan Fabian
    Fear of the Bogeyman, 2023
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  • Joan Fabian, Reconstruction of a City (Rotterdam), 2023

    Joan Fabian

    Reconstruction of a City (Rotterdam), 2023
    Fabian lived in the Netherlands for an artist's residence and lived in a culturally diverse housing complex. The artist saw first-hand what many tourists often overlook, such as gentrification and decaying structures. "Rotterdam was bombed during WW2, but the city has been rebuilt and continues to change, renewing itself, hoping for the best in a new beginning."
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  • Joan Fabian, Marks on the Floor, 2023

    Joan Fabian

    Marks on the Floor, 2023
    Marks on the Floor is a tribute to where Fabian has lived and found shelter, which now are permanent marks on her psyche. "Experience of a place, time or culture affects humans. With each lasting experience, there comes a "mark" that testifies to the paths taken. Some traumatic and some productive."
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  • Joan Fabian, What was not Heard, 2023

    Joan Fabian

    What was not Heard, 2023
    What was not Heard delves into Fabian's hard-of-hearing struggles and the following problems. "I don't hear well and have been relying on body language to help me hear what I fail to. Visual clues are not only for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. There are clues that surround us, clues we give off in the facial expressions we give, and the intuitive nature we often fail to acknowledge. We want to communicate, yet we understand each other so little."
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  • A variety of factors have influenced Fabian, but it is her time in Chicago's "Little Village" neighborhood that stands out, "We grew accustomed to the influx of the cultures of Mexico in addition to Eastern Slavic Europeans such as ourselves, and  I became fascinated by culture and how others live."
  • "Memory is a system, a custom-made circuit board. How a person lives are choices made but predetermined by place,culture,and ancestry.  My art allows me to access and process information, filtering it through personal vocabulary for a universal audience." - Joan Fabian