Solo Exhibition by Howard el-Yasin at Real Art Ways

HARTFORD - Real Art Ways presents a solo exhibition by Howard el-Yasin, curated by David Borawski. The exhibition is now on view through Sunday, January 8, 2023. Gallery hours are Wednesday–Sunday from 2 to 9pm. Admission is free. Real Art Ways is located at 56 Arbor Street, in Hartford.

In their solo exhibition Specific Matter, el-Yasin looks at social value and marginalized racial and gender identities through the use of cast-off, everyday materials. Describing the materials used and motivations behind the work, the artist shares:

"This body of work is an accumulation of two of my ongoing collection practices: banana skins and dryer lint. Both materials are raw and residual, insofar as they are often discarded as waste by people. For several years now, I've been collecting banana skins and dryer lint from people I meet, from friends and family - as well as from my own household.

"Bananas signify many references (to culture, sex, labor, and the global economy...) and the dryer lint is largely and American byproduct. This work reflects on the individual and collective histories of its many participants, which can be imagined in the diversity of shapes formed by the process of baking the banana skins, as well as the sorted range of grey hues and other colors with details of various remnants in the lint felted tiles.

"When looking at the accumulated mass of ordinary materials, an uncanny possibility of seeing begins to emerge. Henceforth, perhaps the spectator will consider the materials differently and question what they know about the construction of value in relation to oneself."

Howard el-Yasin is a New Haven, CT-based interdisciplinary artist, curator, and educator holding degrees from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA '16), Wesleyan University, and New England College. They have exhibited their artwork nationally, and have work in several private collections. They are currently an adjunct faculty member at MICA, and the co-founder/curator of SomethingProjects, an artist-run curatorial initiative.

For more about el-Yasin's work, visit the artist's website.

Real Art Ways is a 47-year old multidisciplinary arts organization with programs in visual art, live arts, cinema, and education. It began in the fall of 1975 when a group of artists set up a live-work space in downtown Hartford. The organization has grown into one of the country’s best-respected contemporary art spaces, with support for artists and connections with community as core values. Real Art Ways is notable for the excellence of its presentations – for example, Real Art Ways has presented 40 MacArthur “Genius” grantees, more than any other organization in the United States. Real Art Ways recently embarked on a new chapter, purchasing 56 Arbor Street and planning an expansion.