La Hojarasca

Markus Bacher, Timothy Ernst, Fay Ray, Dev Harlan, Kara Joslyn, Ceres Madoo, Ruth Nemet, Amy Pachowicz, John Ratajkowski, Noah Schneiderman, David B. Sherry, Alex Stern, Leslye Villaseñor

The fall exhibition at Oolong Gallery brings together bold work by Southern California–based artists whose diverse practices explore ecology, empire, climate, nature, technology, national parks, beauty, and loss. The selections draw on four years of research and exhibitions focused on artists in Los Angeles and San Diego, shaping the launch of Oolong Gallery on the West Coast.

La Hojarasca is the title of Gabriel García Márquez’s first published novel, released in 1955. Set in the fictional town of Macondo, the novella explores memory, death, decay, and the arrival of outsiders who transform the town. The title literally means “The Leaf Storm” or “fallen leaves,” but metaphorically refers to the influx of people, commerce, and social upheaval brought by the banana industry. As an exhibition title and theme, La Hojarasca suggests accumulation, discarded histories, transience, the debris of time, autumnal colors, market influx, and also hints at the Spanish colonial history that once was a territory of Mexico — Alta California. Oolong Gallery is thrilled to present thirteen Southern California artists in Tribeca from the four year emerging and mid-career program founded back west in 2022.