Monologue: Grand Opening

– Monologue by Dara Lorenzo


 Amid the Pandemic, Monologging Artist, Dara Lorenzo has returned to her hometown of Baltimore Maryland where she is now directing the opening of Zo Gallery. Transplanted from Oakland, California, Zo Gallery seeks to highlight the work of progressive artists who are not afraid to demonstrate how they might change the world visually and emotionally, causing us to question our surroundings. Under Dara’s leadership, curators seek to explore concept-driven artistic processes, and to emphasize diverse perspectives.

Zo Gallery resides inside a historic Baltimore row home that has been occupied since its construction in 1803. On Friday, October 30th, 2020, Dara’s team hosted a limited audience at their inaugural show, appropriately titled “Grand Opening.” In the following Monologue, Dara reflects on her experience working with the featured artists in anticipation of the event:   


 


 

Dara Lorenzo

 

Dara Lorenzo was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1983. She attended West Virginia University for Painting, 2001-2004 and received her B.S in Printmaking from Towson University in 2008. Most recently, she has completed an MFA in Printmaking from San Francisco Art Institute. Dara’s current work explores the claiming of spaces, through treading and marking. With a focus on the expressive forms found in carving, writing, construction and deconstruction, her work discovers the way we inhabit places and change them to suit our personalities and daily lives. Dara’s latest photography project involves collaborating with strangers who interact with places in a unique way. She develops her photography pieces through a photo-intaglio print process. To read about Dara’s work and some of the San Francisco artists in her circle, please visit KQED Arts.