Empowered

Keep Talking
Eugenia Gajardo + Andy Yang

Do we keep talking? Everything was such a rollercoaster ride since the last compilation of ’Conversations’ in 2018. Yet, the conversations continued throughout all the good and bad times laid out on our paths. From the shock reaction to realization and finally at peace. How do you prepare to handle these complicated decisions?

This series of 12 paintings was created with a fellow artist and good friend, the late Eugenia Gajardo. It was a proposed follow-up show to ‘Conversations.’ Riding on the excellent chemistry wave we experienced working together from the previous collaboration and exhibition. We were having a really prolific time creating artworks for a few months. Armed with her painting knives and I with my brushes. We continued our silent conversations canvas after canvas. We were definitely outdoing ourselves and going somewhere in this new direction. Nourishing our minds individually from this creative pursuit. Painting together regularly until the bad news that Eugenia was diagnosed with a terminal illness that broke in 2019. We had to stop because of what she was going through. As the pandemic was looming on the horizon during that period, we never had a chance to continue our collaboration. The proposed show did not materialize and looked like it was not meant to be due to these dire circumstances. Like time capsules, these works managed to lock in precious moments, thoughts, and friendships. So glad that we made time to actively work on the pieces which would otherwise be lost forever.

Let these pieces serve and be marked as a good cause for celebration for a life well-lived.

This quote from Eugenia kept coming back to me from the last session we painted together:-

“I have always been in control of situations my whole life—only my birth, which I have no control of. You can be very sure that I am going to be in control of my death, and I will.” - Eugenia Gajardo.

And so she did.