Andrew Alcasid: 'Turning Pages'

From the KPBS weekend arts preview:
When I first saw Andrew Alcasid's work, it was a gigantic architectural intervention painted in place in the soon-to-close Helmuth Projects space in Banker's Hill. Shortly after that installation, Alcasid was diagnosed with cancer, and spent an extended period undergoing treatment and recovering. He turned his artist practice towards smaller canvases — small enough to be painted inside the hospital — of things he observed while at rest. And when he was home, this quiet, observational, small-scale practice continued.

In "Turning Pages," Alcasid will show a collection of simple, evocative figure drawings of his partner reading books at home. It's also a nod to the Athenaeum's origin story as a reading room, and to the stacks of books in the adjacent library. Following Friday's opening reception, Alcasid will also hold an artist walkthrough at 1 p.m. on March 18 , and an artist talk at 6 p.m. on April 11.
—Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS.

From the museum:
In homage to the Athenaeum's beginnings as the La Jolla Reading Room, Andrew Alcasid presents Turning Pages, a collection of figure drawings depicting his partner, Aubrey Mejia, reading at their home.

After being diagnosed with cancer in 2019, Alcasid began to draw small still lifes. Mejia, a floral designer, would bring a variety of blooms to the hospital and home as Alcasid underwent chemotherapy, resulting in a series of watercolor florals he called Get Well Soon. The Turning Pages series began in 2020 while the artist was convalescing at home during the pandemic, creating these quiet studies of their shared love of reading and writing.

About the artist:
Andrew Alcasid is graduate of the museum studies program at San Diego Mesa College and previously studied figure drawing at Miramar College and North Park Drawing Group. He has held artist residencies at Bread & Salt and (now-shuttered) Helmuth Projects. As a mostly self-taught artist who started by experimenting with street art, Alcasid has over sixty works displayed on San Diego electrical boxes. His public murals include the "Omega Mural" in Mira Mesa and “Cube, Palm, Orchid” at the corner of Adams and Hawley in Normal Heights.

Related events:
Opening reception: Friday, March 10, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Gallery Walk-through: Saturday, March 18, 1 p.m.
Join artist Andrew Alcasid for a guided walk-through of his new exhibition, Turning Pages. Free admission.

Artist Talk: Tuesday, April 11, 6 p.m.
Andrew Alcasid will present a special lecture giving an in-depth look into his artistic trajectory, process, and recent work. Tickets: $15 Members; $20 Non-members; $5 Students. Tickets here.

Social media:
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram
Andrew Alcasid on Instagram