Petite Galleria features new work by Michael Mastre for tonight's artwalk in Japantown.

Read all about Petite Galleria on KQED Arts here.

Petite Galleria
205B Jackson Street
San Jose

Also on view tonight is "Alone Together" group photography show at Empire Seven.

These images explore the myriad ways we are isolated while in the midst of society. These images also examine the sometimes tenuous and fleeting connections that occur despite our isolation.

Solitude is an abiding fact of human existence; one could even say that our self-awareness and consciousness create isolation. To be self-aware is to understand the self-in relation to the world, as separate. Connection is also a defining human characteristic; as social animals we crave and rely on connection above all other conditions.

Isolation and separation have multiple dimensions. Social boundaries and rules divide us; we can be inches from another person on a bus or train but be separated by conventions of interaction. Class, color, and creed also establish or maintain barriers.

Connection permeates our lives; despite our need for occasional respite we require interaction and intimacy more. We are now intertwined by electronic means even as we are also crowded together in busy offices, factories, and streets. Even when we are alone memories of interaction, images, and digital linkages persist.

These photographs explore the duality and contradiction of our isolation and connection.

Photographers:
Joe Aguirre, Mike Aviña, Emilio Bañuelos, Troy Holden and Ben Molina

Friday April 10th 7–10pm

Empire Seven
525 N 7th St,
San Jose, CA