
Jo Nanajian was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1996 and immigrated to Boston, MA in 2008. Focusing on charcoal as a medium, Nanajian is driven by her intuition and gesture to create large scale abstracted pieces. The goal is to capture her emotions from an unprocessed memory that ultimately resulted in a feeling of loss of control. She explores these emotions by distorting figures using a repeated draw-and-erase technique until it is unrecognizable, a response to the death of her “American Dream”.
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Exhibitions
2020
Emotional Revolution
Dorchester Art Project Gallery, Boston, MA2019
Subjective Nature
August Wilson African American Cultural Center, PennsylvaniaArtScape
Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts, Baltimore, MDMelanin and Honey II
Meca Gallery, Lowell, MA2018
Immigrant Food Festival
Canton Waterfront park, BaltimoreArtScape
Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, BaltimoreArtWalk
Maryland Institute College of Art, BaltimoreAm Fest
American University, Washington, DC2017
Preview #4
Sheila and Richard Ricos Gallery,BaltimoreUntitled
Carriage House, BaltimoreJunior Independent
Alvin and Louise Myerberg Gallery, BaltimoreBrown Paper Zine
Eubie Blake, BaltimorePMFVIII
Baltimore School of Design, Baltimore2016
Junior Independent
Alvin and Louise Myerberg Gallery, BaltimoreGFA Show
Main Building, BaltimoreAnatomy Show
Main Building, Baltimore2015
Book Arts Show
Fox Building, Baltimore2014
AP Art Show
Belmont Art Gallery, Belmont, MA -
Education
2018
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
BFA in General Fine Arts -
Awards
Fountainhead Residency, Miami, FL, 2020
MICA Recognition Award, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, 2015 – 2018