Exhibition: Parting Lines

In Parting Lines, artists TeaYoun Kim-Kassor, Mayuko Ono Gray, and Sabre Esler explore common threads of human existence, memory, and identity through varying representations of lines, whether explicit or implied. Featuring over 30 intricate drawings, paintings, and silk works, Parting Lines invites us to consider the power of diverse perspectives converging on a shared exploration of what it means to be human.

TeaYoun Kim-Kassor’s installation series, “Modulation,” delves into the concept of identity and questions the interplay between personal history and migration. Her work speaks to the universal human experience of grappling with questions like “Who am I?” and “Where am I?” as we navigate life’s complexities. Sabre Esler’s art takes a markedly scientific approach, probing the invisible constructs of thoughts. Esler uses color theory to represent abstract ideas. Her “what if” hypotheses serve as a bridge between art and science, resonating with the exhibition’s theme of exploring uncharted territories of the human condition. Mayuko Ono Gray’s graphite drawings offer a unique blend of cultural influences, seamlessly merging traditional Japanese calligraphy with Western drawing practices. Ono Gray’s works capture everyday life experiences and incorporate matching Japanese proverbs, intricately woven into a single, continuous line of hiragana and kanji characters. The calligraphic line symbolizes the journey of life, from birth to death, echoing the overarching theme of the exhibition.

TeaYoun Kim-Kassor
TeaYoun Kim-Kassor is originally from South Korea, where she received her B.F.A. in Fine Arts at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul.  She continued her research in Art Education as the Japanese equivalent of a Fulbright Scholar at Saitama University in Japan, where she earned a Master of Art Education (MAAE).  In America, Kim-Kassor continued her exploration of arts in the Terminal Degree in visual arts, M.F.A. program at the University of Tennessee, focusing on Spatial Practice.  Currently, she is a Professor and Department Chair of the Foundation Program at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.

Sabre Esler
Sabre Esler (b. Cleveland, OH) lives and works in Atlanta Georgia. She received her MFA from SCAD, Atlanta and she received her BFA from Miami University, Oxford OH where she studied graphic design, illustration and biology. She is currently a studio artist at Atlanta Contemporary. Esler has taught  at Georgia State University, Perimeter College and SCAD. She is represented by Jennifer Balcos Gallery, Atlanta GA.