Forefront
Nasser Zulueta, Tom Russ, Elwin Lyon

The pandemic has brought forth many realizations; chief among them is the validation of the importance of certain jobs and workers we often take for granted. They’ve become indispensable as we continue to navigate a global health crisis and a hazy future. We’ve known them as the FRONTLINERS—the people at the forefront of this battle who risk their lives for the public.

However, so much has been said, but less has been done to acknowledge their significant contributions. “Forefront,” a group exhibition featuring the works of Nasser Zulueta, Tom Russ, and Elwin Lyon, aims to honor their legacy by confronting the injustices and unfair treatment they endured. This exhibition hopes to raise awareness of the plight of our frontliners and bring different sectors of our society together to start conversations on this matter. Funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) under the 2022 Competitive Grants, three artists have come together to honor our modern heroes.

Nasser Zulueta, in his signature style, pays tribute to essential workers through monumentally sized works that play with scale and hues. Like a mosaic, each square piece reflects our distinct yet collective experiences in the past years.

Elwin Lyon, a mental health advocate, puts her advocacy on display by combining her signature oil on canvas seascape painting style with her long-term passion for the game of chess. She depicts the ideal balance between work and play. With analogies to the movement and atmosphere of the sea, she explores the essence and contributions of the laboring citizens.

And Tom Russ, a mixed media artist, highlights the struggles frontliners face by exploring different mediums, with each artwork underscoring the risks frontliners have faced. Using familiar objects, Tom created conceptual pieces for the fallen heroes and those who continue fighting.

Together, these three very diverse artists will use their artistic voices to amplify the call for action.