depths of being | april 17 - May 17, 2025
Depths of Being
Depths of Being is an evocative exhibition exploring the layered experiences of human existence. Through sculpture and installation, the featured artists delve into identity, transformation, and the unseen dimensions of our reality—psychological, cosmic, and deeply personal.
- The Universe – Christine Romanell contemplates the cosmos, blending science and metaphysics to reflect on life’s mysteries.
- Time – Tae Dong Kim-James examines how experiences accumulate, much like layers of sediment, shaping both personal and universal narratives.
- Transformation – Josué Morales Urbina reimagines dried mandarin peels into cube-shaped objects, challenging notions of permanence and function.
- Personal Metamorphosis – Tina Maneca captures psychological and emotional upheavals that lead to self-awareness and evolution.
- The Unity – Valerie Huhn explores identity and individuality, using fingerprints as a metaphor for the unconscious mind.
The title Depths of Being invites us to look beyond surface reality, seeking meaning through philosophy, psychology, and artistic exploration. Each artist offers a unique perspective, fostering reflection, discovery, and transformation.
artists
Christine Romanell
Christine’s work explores the concept of infinity through precise, circular forms inspired by the golden ratio and sacred geometry. Her pieces blur the line between digital and physical, transforming mathematical patterns into vibrant, multi-layered sculptures and paintings. Using techniques like laser-cutting and 3D printing, Christine constructs intricate illusions that shift as you move — making the invisible, visible.
Tae D Kim-James
Tae D Kim-James is a multidisciplinary artist exploring identity, gender, and cultural narratives through the lens of fictional archaeology. With a Master of Science in Architecture from Virginia Tech, Northern Virginia Campus (2010) and a Bachelor of Arts from Seoul National University (1999), Kim-James integrates architecture, sculpture, and installation to challenge conventional views on history and self-representation.
Josué Morales Urbina
Josué Morales Urbina’s career is marked by numerous accomplishments, including solo and group exhibitions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas. An alum of the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, he has completed residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, La Napoule Art Foundation’s Résidence d‘Artiste Internationale, Centrum in Washington state, GoggleWorks, Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, NARS International AIR, SVA Artist Residency Program, ChaNorth, and a current Textile Arts Center’s TAC AIR 16. In 2023, he was recognized as a Sculpture Finalist by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and was awarded the 2024 Jersey City Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship. Morales Urbina has also served as a panelist for various residencies and grants. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Art History and Criticism from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Tina Maneca
She received a BFA in Textile Design from Parsons School of Design | The New School in 1993 and has pursued further certification and education at Rhode Island School of Design and the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Her proficiency in various mediums such as weaving, ceramics and metal fabrication has led to her extensive background in studio management and production assistance for well-established artists.
Her own practice focuses on sculpture and installation pieces of varied and diverse concepts, presented from a personal, intimate perspective. She pushes the traditional use of materials and forces them to rebel against their intended purpose.
Valerie Huhn
Valerie Huhn is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans drawing, video, mixed media, sculpture, and site-specific installation. Her work has been exhibited across the United States and internationally, earning her numerous accolades and awards. Valerie has held residencies at a range of institutions, including Long Beach Island, NJ; Aspen, CO; chashama in New York City; Aferro Studios in Newark, NJ; and most recently, as Artist-in-Residence at the Arts Council of Princeton.
Her work is part of collections at the historic Bell Telephone Building in Newark, The Fortune Society, and several private collections. In 2022, she was named a finalist by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and received a fellowship in 2025. Valerie holds degrees in graphic design, photography, and fine arts from Parsons School of Design, The New School, and the San Francisco Art Institute.