2024 Alumni Art Show

About the Exhibit

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 2, 2024, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Closing Reception: Thursday, December 5, 2024, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

The LBCC Alumni exhibition aims to bring together a group of practicing visual artists who started their journey at Long Beach City College. The Visual and Media Arts Department has a long history of producing artists who have gone on to complete their undergraduate and graduate studies at some of the most prestigious public and private studio art programs across the nation, including UCLA, CSULB, UC Irvine, CSU Fullerton, California Institute of the Arts, Otis College of Art and Design, Art Center College of Art and Design, Art Institute of Chicago, Art Institute of San Francisco, University of Southern California, Claremont Graduate University and Yale University among others.

Artists in this exhibition are a mix of recent graduates, emerging artists, and mid-career professionals. Some artists like Mariah Cool, Luis Moreno, Rachel Shimpock, and Christina Shurts have returned to LBCC as adjunct faculty, while others are practicing artists and educators at various universities and colleges throughout the country. This exhibition presents a group of LBCC alumni who are among the best and brightest of their cohort, demonstrating the critical role that LBCC plays in both the local, national, and international art communities.

View Installation Photos:

LBCC: Alumni Art ExhibitionGina Clyne Photography,LBCC: Alumni Art Exhibition,

The Artists

Phan Quang is a self-taught visual artist who primarily practices photography. However, in his later transition, he explored various forms, including video art, sculpture, installation art, painting, and lacquer art.

His works are built upon personal experiences and social observations, as well as introspection.

Currently, his artworks are exhibited in many countries around the world and are part of numerous private collections and museums globally, such as MOCA in Los Angeles, Asia Society and Museum in New York, Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan, and The SAM in Singapore.

Below:

(Left, Top)

Recover 8, 2015.

(Left, Bottom)

Recover 5, 2015

(Right)

Self-portrait, 2013

Sovanchan Sorn is a second-generation Cambodian-American artist based in Los Angeles, CA. As the daughter of refugee parents, her work delves into the complexities of identity, interweaving her Cambodian-American heritage with the lasting echoes of intergenerational trauma. Through her practice, she confronts the scars left by war, imperialism, and the displacement of Southeast Asian diasporas.

Sorn’s current body of work centers on a recurring dream of trapped light—an evocative, visceral experience of an infinite tunnel etched into her memory. This imagery, possibly a message from her ancestors or a symbol of inherited trauma, speaks to the burden and beauty of navigating a fractured lineage. Drawing inspiration from cocoons and the transformative life cycle of silkworms, Sorn explores these metaphors through lightboxes, capturing the dual sensations of being both confined and illuminated. Her pieces balance a tension between fragility and resilience—floating, radiant, yet yearning to break free.

Her work has been featured in juried exhibitions such as INSIGHTS at Kleefeld Contemporary and Gallery Platform LA. She has also participated in group shows at the Torrance Art Museum, Marilyn Werby Gallery, Gatov Gallery, and Makerville. Sorn has participated in residencies and workshops at the Long Beach Museum of Art, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and UCLA’s Khmer Student Coalition Conferences.

Left:

Encase / Escape, 2022

Silk, Cotton, Monofilament, Wood, LED 29 W x 18 D x 75 H in approx.

Weight: 25lbs

Rodrigo Lopez is a Salvadoran-born artist living and working in Los Angeles. He has exhibited his work throughout Los Angeles, and has had his written works printed in publications such as Graphite Journal. His practice is based in trying to understand the nature of trauma and healing, while reflecting on ideas of kinship, culture, ritual, material, and their associated meanings. His practice is also based in research around production and the politics of his native El Salvador. He draws inspiration from folk traditions and imagery, from nostalgia and longing, sources inspiration from labor and ritual practices, ideas around wealth and generational inheritance. His recent works examine ideas of belonging for the Salvadoran diaspora and how the war has affected its people. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Los Angeles in 2022.

Below:

Jueves 16 de Noviembre, 1989, 2024

Metal screen door, plywood, fabric and photographs

82” x 39”x42”

Anthony Razo Rico is an artist from Watts, CA, currently living in Lakewood, CA and a senior at Cal State Long Beach pursuing a BFA in drawing and painting. His work explores memory and lived experiences, focusing on the relationship and the effects of human and environmental settings on signage and advertisement. He investigates how signage and advertisements influence self-perception and our awareness of our surroundings. Additionally, he deconstructs Western

perceptions of masculinity, challenging traditional ideals through abstract forms and layered symbolism.

Inspired by sign painting and graffiti traditions, Rico uses tempera, acrylic, spray paint, and found objects to create layered compositions to express the passage of time through surface history. His method combines a systematic approach with spontaneous, intuitive responses, allowing for an authentic conversation between artist and medium.

Rico's work relies on texture, line variation, and repetition to craft visual narratives that explore impermanence and identity. Each piece invites viewers to contemplate the transient nature of our world, offering reflections on both the physical

environment and societal constructs.

Left:

It Ain't What Ya Think, 2024

Spray paint, enamel, oil paint

78x70in

Reinhart Revilla Selvik (b. 1987, Long Beach, CA) is a Los Angeles-based sculptor, painter, and installation artist whose practice navigates the intersections of memory and architecture. He explores the ways that lived histories are inscribed into individual perception, drawing material and form from sites of erasure and erosion. Selvik's work connects these shifting internal and external temporalities to broader histories that inform how individuals construct identities within shared environments and looming systems of power.

He has recently exhibited at Megan Mulrooney Gallery, Phase Gallery, Floating Gallery, San Diego Art Institute, Eastside International, Actual Size, San Diego Mesa College, and Long Beach City College. In 2023, Reinhart served as lead artist and curator of Periphery, a large-scale mural collaboration at UC San Diego’s Visual Arts Facilities, and he was commissioned by Haudenschild Garage for the immersive installation Without Action Fractured Faces. He is a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Art Award and holds a dual BA in Communication and Visual Arts from UC San Diego and an MFA from UC Irvine.

Right:

The Silver Cord, 2024

Acrylic and spray paint on canvas,

76" x 84"

José M. Loza (b. 1983, Cuernavaca, Mor., Mex.) is a first-generation Mexican-American artist from Long Beach, CA. Loza works in drawing, painting, printmaking and mixed media. He often collaborates with other artists and activists on installations and community-based art projects. His work explores who is centered and who is on the periphery of our social framework. Loza is interested in visualizing the American immigrant experience and the systems that shape it, while also exploring the ephemeral nature of memory, identity, and traditions passed down through generations.

Loza is a graduate of California State University Long Beach with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and an Art Education Single Subject Teaching Credential. He was Lead Mural Conservation Artist for the City of Long Beach, a recipient of the 2019 Nuestra Imagen Excellence in Arts and Culture Award, 2019 United States House of Representatives Recognition, 2018 Arts Council for Long Beach Professional Artist Fellow, and a 2023-24 California Arts Council Creative Corps Fellow. Loza is in the process of finishing his MFA

Illustration degree at California State University Long Beach.

Below:

Happy Birthday Edgar, 2024

Collograph Print on Rives BFK,

16” x 20” (each) Triptych

Shereen Moustafa is an interdisciplinary artist from Los Angeles, California, whose work evolves as she explores different materials and processes, such as paint, charcoal, music and moving images.

Moustafa’s artwork has been collected and presented across the West Coast, and in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Most recently, her work has appeared in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collections and the Los Angeles Central Public Library.

She reimagines the geometric and floral patterns of the Egyptian art that surrounded her growing up. Botanical motifs and calligraphic brushstrokes guide the motion of her work, breathing life into its naturalistic and dream-like essences. Moustafa meditates on the collective nature of consciousness, and how she makes her place in it.

Left:

CHAMBERS, 2024

Acrylic, charcoal, and chains on canvas, 16”x40”

Sean Cully is a father, husband, educator, artist, and curator. He runs the Mantel Gallery in Long Beach California. His artwork focuses on interactivity, novelty, and experimentation. He attended Long Beach City College before transferring to UCLA where he graduated with a BA in Fine Art in 2010. In 2015 he earned an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design. His art has been exhibited at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, the Torrance Museum of Art, Durden and Ray Gallery in Los Angeles, Studio Baustelle in Berlin, Germany, and Artbug Gallery in Los Angeles.

Below:

(Left) Take a load off partner, 2021-Current

Wood, metal spring, foam, clicker counter, labels, partners

19” x 63” x 28”

(Right) Shouldn’t you be in Zoom school? 2021

Wood, electrical drill, pinwheel, motion sensor, students

39” x 20” x 7”

Rachel Kassia Shimpock is currently an Adjunct Instructor of Metals and Jewelry at both CSU Long Beach, California and Long Beach City College. She is a California native raised in Surf City, Orange County by two high school teacher (hard core nerd) parents. She received her MFA in the Jewelry/Metals program at San Diego State University and her BFA from Cal State University Long Beach. Her work has been shown extensively domestically, is part of the collection in Oregon Museum of Contemporary Craft, Museum of Fine Art Boston, Yale University Art Gallery, Crocker Museum among others. Publications include “Humor in Craft” by Brigitte Martin and periodicals such as Ornament Magazine. She regularly gives workshops in various metal techniques to schools and groups. Rachel is carrying on the legacy of her parents and her trade by teaching, getting involved in her community whenever possible and utilizing every opportunity to nerd out and spread the gospel of metals and jewelry.

Below:

(Left) Waffle Necklace, 2020

Copper Plated Electroformed Belgian Waffle, Vitreous Glass Enamel, Powder coated steel

(Right) Toast Bracelet, 2023

Approx 6” square x ½” thick Copper Plated Electroformed white bread, Vitreous Glass Enamel, Wax.

Jonathon Hornedo (b. 1982, Long Beach, California) is a Costa Rican-American polydisciplinary artist. After attending Long Beach City College, he received a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2010, and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 2023. Hornedo’s work has been presented with Art Catalogues at LACMA; Fellows of Contemporary Art, CA; Elephant Art Space, CA; Club Pro, CA; PØST, CA; Timothy Hawkinson Gallery, CA; and UTA Art Space, Beverly Hills. He co-hosted a radio show which aired on 90.7FM KPFK, and was a recipient of a Rema Hort Mann Foundation Yo Yo Yo Grant. His poetry and fiction has been published by Insert Press and Strip Mall Magazine, and his project space, Pretend Gallery, was featured in the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly. He lives and works in Lakewood, California.

(Left):

"The Three Bowls", 2023

Oil on canvas,

96” x 74"

Sanjin Malesevic (born in Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a Long Beach-based visual artist and filmmaker. He graduated from the Long Beach City College in 2012 and just four years later, he was recognized as one of the 40 under 40 most influential Long Beach artists. The 40 Under 40 award was issued to him by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia on behalf of the Long Beach Post. Sanjin is currently developing his new film titled Taint. Taint will be the third film in his “T” trilogy of films that include Toni (2022) and Tetched (2016).

(Right):

Toni, 2022

Video, color, stereo, 2.20:1

Daniel Barajas is a digital and traditional artist of Mexican-American descent, whose work explores facets of humanity through the lens of his own experiences. With a focus on detail and precision, he captures the essence of his subjects with a gentle and empathetic hand. His work brings an emphasis on emotional fragility, highlighting the fleeting and vulnerable nature of being. Drawing inspiration from his Latin heritage and his experiences in the queer community, Daniel’s work examines the intersection of identity and culture, and the delicate balance of strength and vulnerability.

Through both digital and physical mediums, Daniel creates pieces that invite viewers to reflect on the intricacy of the human experience. He reveals the beauty in our shared imperfections, and the quiet dignity of our truest selves.

He currently works with Lindeman and Associates as a Sketch Artist and Illustrator. He holds a Bachelor's of Fine Art from the California State University of Long Beach.

(Left):

August, 2024

Oil on Panel, 16" x 20" x 1.5"

Karina Colorado is a second-generation Salvadoran artist based in the U.S., exploring the complexities of her identity through her artwork. She connects deeply with her Salvadoran heritage, particularly the stories and traditions of the women in her family. Central to her practice are fabric sculpture and weaving, which serve as both a meditative practice and a means of healing past traumas. Drawing on folk art aesthetics, her pieces incorporate textiles and crafts that reflect her cultural roots. Currently pursuing a degree in Child Development, alongside her BA in Studio and Psychology from Cal State Long Beach. Karina uses her art to empower and honor the creative legacies of generations before her, inviting viewers to contemplate the meaning of womanhood within her culture.

Below:

(Left) Weaves with Natural Fibers

Yarn, fabric, branches,flowers,thread.

60"x 45"

(Right) Ya Queremos Pastel, 2023

Mixed Medium

39"x16"x16"

Mariah Csepanyi Cool creates large scale interactive installations guided by the logic of her vivid recurring dreams. Her interest in dreams circumvents contemporary analysis and grounds itself in magical and spiritual origins. Exploring dreams as divine messages and pathways to alternate worlds— she uses their communications as instructions for healing, art making and investigating the ephemeral. Cool's work is deeply rooted in the traditions of memory and storytelling. Playing with allegorical images, she attempts to weave her personal story into the fabric of human mythologies. Cool invites viewers along with her to explore the liminal spaces between the conscious and unconscious mind.

The artist received her BA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California and her MFA from the University of California Irvine. She has taught Sculpture, Kinetic Sculpture, 3D design, and Welding at UCI and LBCC. During her career, she has collaborated with a variety of internationally recognized artists such as Jim Shaw, Mike Kelley, Marnie Weber, and Jennifer West. As an accomplished musician and performer, she has recorded and performed with a variety of musicians and artists. Projects have included performances for Artissima in Turin, Mike Kelley’s studio in Los Angeles, Left Behind at the Musée d’art Contemporary de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, Jack Black’s Festival Supreme in Los Angeles, Skate the Sky at the Tate Modern in London and Art Basel Miami.

Left:

Not Enough, 2024

Blankets, salt, metal gate, tv static

Variable dimensions

Angel Grace King is a Los Angeles-based artist specializing in sculpture. Using found materials and intense processes, her work spans sculpture, photography, video, installation, and painting to narrate personal experiences that offer a commentary on psychological and societal dynamics. Born in Ellijay, Georgia, a small town in the deep South, she draws on past relationships to critique patriarchal systems. With a ritualistic, labor-intensive, and process-based approach, King transforms domestic and everyday objects such as used mattresses, clothes, and furniture. This manipulation seeks to blur the lines between body, memory, and object, invoking an uncanny and intense response from viewers.

Her work merges personal narratives with broader themes of trauma, abuse, sexuality, and the foster care system, allowing the personal to serve as a conduit for discussing widespread societal issues. King received her BA from UCLA and has exhibited at UCLA, LBCC, Angels Gate, Verge Center for the Arts, LBMX, and other notable venues.

Right:

Sutures, 2023

Cheesecloth, metal, photographs, beads, thread, paper.

4.4 X 2.7 ft

Christina Shurts explores the many intersections in-and-around learning and perceptions through painting, sculpture and leading collaborative public art projects. She has shown work nationally and internationally in galleries, museums and art fairs including Galleri Oxholm, Denmark, Art Copenhagen, Rare Gallery, NY, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, CO and Torrance Art Museum, CA. As an educator, she serves as an adjunct lecturer at Mount San Antonio College and Long Beach City College. She received her MFA, Drawing & Painting from California State University Long Beach, 2010 and BFA in Psychology from University of California Irvine, 2000. Shurts attended Long Beach City College from 2004-2006. Shurts awards and residencies include Forum, 2019, Torrance Art Museum, The Collective, Barcelona Spain, and Lighthouse Award in Arts Education, 2019.

Left:

Wishes for Grace

Oil on canvas

49 in. x 63 in.

Luis Moreno Napoles was born in Mexico and misplaced in Long Beach, California, institutionalized at LBCC, UCLA and UC Irvine, luis Moreno curves time and space to make the overwhelming capitalist pressure recede enough for us to catch our breath. A small but charged resistance carried out. Our practice often unravels into an unruly sort of rambling as we desperately search for a way to keep the decaying fragments of indeterminable forms from slipping through our fingers. Through structures of reciprocity, collaboration, and labor-driven material experimentation, we urgently perform a series of small gestures toward ancestral and relational debts that will never be repaid. The works produced are that of an errant subject in motion meditating on the passage of time and the fixedness of things.

Our ideal welcome mat would read, "If you want some then come and get some" (Fred Moten). The lingering low hum we carry in their chest are the lyrics to la Llorona, "Yo soy como el chile verde. Picante pero sabroso.

Right:

La Cosa Fina y Dorada (The Thin Gilded Thing)

Medium: Salt.

A cool white against our warm, sun burnt brown, salt to heal, salt to preserve.

Hibiscus.

A tincture, the color of a vast red desert, the red moon, soak yourself in this holy elixir.

Dirt.

This is the Garden, We are dirt, We can’t be crushed.

Gold Leaf.

The enduring sun, a rare material, a glittering Immensity.

Plaster Gauze.

To fill a cavity, to repair a broken bone.

Darcy Bartoletti was born in Tucson, Arizona and grew up in Long Beach, California. He did a semester exchange at the Kunst Akademie in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands in 2004. He later received a BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2006 and then moved to Los Angeles. While living and painting in LA, as a day job he was a studio assistant for artists such as David Hockney, Mike Kelley and Laura Owens. Darcy moved to the island of Kauai in 2018 where he now resides and has his painting studio.

Left:

Giddy And Gay, 2024

Acrylic and spray paint on canvas.

34” X 30”

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