ModA Curations is pleased to announce A Poor Imitation of Death, a traveling exhibition by Ara Oshagan, opening May 9, at our New York space. This exhibition is a collaborative and multidisciplinary project about youth in the California prison system.
Through photography, collage, poetry, personal testimony, installation and the voices and handwriting of the youth themselves, photographer Ara Oshagan creates a deeply
moving and personal portraits of Duc, Liz, Anait, Peter, Sandra, Efrain and Myra—all youth who enter the justice system as juveniles but are tried as adults and sent to adult prisons with severe sentences.
Their stories are layered and complex: full of despair, raw emotion, and injustice but also of incredible inner strength and hope.
A Poor Imitation of Death book is published by Daylight Books, NY in 2024 with a foreword by radical love activist Father Greg Boyle @fathergboyle of Homeboy Industries @homeboyindustries .
@ara.oshagan@daylightbooks
Opening Reception May 9, 7—10 PM, at ModA Curations NYC location, 227 E 24th St. The exhibition continues until June 13, 2026.
ModA Studio is still buzzing from the incredible energy of our recent opening with the visionary teams at @dopaminecontemporary & @bolexstudio . It was pure magic to see our spaces come alive with conversation, connection, and stunning new artworks.
Huge gratitude to every amazing creative, collector, and friend who came out. You are the heartbeat of this city’s art scene. This is just the beginning…
Now open! Become a member at ModA Studio in DTLA for the new year with opportunities to participate in our upcoming curatorial program.
The membership provides creatives and artists with:
- studio & co-working space accessible 24/7
- access to our shared production facilities
- Bicoastal ModA exhibition & event calendar
- coordinated studio visits
- public open studios
- and discounted use of our event space in NYC and LA
The membership starts at 99$/month for current students. The studios are located on the tenth floor of the Reef, LA and range in size from 250 to 300 square feet.
The link in our profile! For more information please contact [email protected]
Interior Design by Vivian Wu @vi2an123
Photo by Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
Some works stay with you long after you’ve left the room.
We’re honoring that feeling with Encore — a virtual return to the work of Simon Kubik, whose layered oil paintings speak to the subconscious, the unresolved, and the deeply human.
Experience Encore now, wherever you are.
🔗 Link in bio.
THE RIDDIM ROOM | Tiny Nook x NYFW S26 💫
We’re still searching for the words and all the ways we can say thank you.
Our community, our artists, and all of our new friends really showed up for our first event in our new home at @bolexstudios x @moda.curations
THE RIDDIM ROOM was an iteration of @tinynookseries transforming a Manhattan art gallery into an immersive fashion and sound installation reimagining both traditional runway and live performance. Centered in the core of Afro-Caribbean heritage, in acknowledgment of Black History Month, featured the sounds of dancehall, amapiano, reggae, & Afrobeats paired with styles by Nigerian designer Mo Rabiu of @soradicalnewyork .
With tastes such as Riddim Room Rum Punch blended with popular Trinidadian brand @tentoonerum and small bites provided by @waffltaco , the full experience was a sensory vision straight from The Éssample Universe created + produced by @the.essample
Sonic Landscape by @dj500k@truvi.music@malik.english
Additional visuals on display from @brandonblackwoodnyc
Hosted by @rondondota
Photos by @aldousheaven
#nyfw #livemusic #uniqueexperiences #tinynookseries #nyc
Ruben Gutierrez(@rubeneitor )
PIERDETE ENTRE LOS MUERTOS / DROWN AMONG THE DEAD
Film
1:01:41 mins
The Illuminated Death: Fragments for a Philosophy of Fire I-V
Pencil on paper
19.6 × 14 in | 50 × 35.5 cm
Photo courtesy of Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
“Death” is on view until January 10, 2026 at ModA Collaboratives, Floor 10, The Reef LA @the_reef_la
Mohammed Al-Hawajri(@hawajriart )
Maryam- Mother of Gaza 01 ~ 05
Print on hahnemuhle museum etching paper (1/20) (original acrylic on canvas 2015)
19.69 × 19.69 in | 50 × 50 cm
Maryam- Mother of Gaza 06 ~ 08
Print on hahnemuhle museum etching paper (1/20) (original acrylic on canvas 2015)
19.69 × 14.75 in | 50 × 37.46 cm
Photo courtesy of Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
“Death” is on view until January 10, 2026 at ModA Collaboratives, Floor 10, The Reef LA @the_reef_la
John Wright ii （@johnisflam ）
(scs:2) If you’d give us the chance one more time
Oil on cardboard
26 × 22.5 in | 66 × 57.2 cm
ii ad 3
Oil & acrylic on cardboard
12 × 9 in | 30.5 × 22.9 cm
scs:3) Fantastical devil angel, déjà vu déjà vu déjà vu
Oil on cardboard
15 × 24 in | 38 × 60 cm
Coping Mechanism
Acrylic & oil on cardboard + dad’s ties
50 × 24 in | 127 × 60.7 cm
ii Ad. 1,
Oil on cardboard
16 × 15 in | 40.6 × 38 cm
Snellen eye test series
Oil painted to printed collage Edition 1 of 5 (In progress)
19 × 8 in | 48.3 × 20.3 cm
US. MED SYSTEM, 2025
Oil on wood
24 × 48 in | 60.9 × 121.9 cm
Photo courtesy of Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
“Death” is on view until January 10, 2026 at ModA Collaboratives, Floor 10, The Reef LA @the_reef_la
Jennifer Boyuan Han（@boyuanhan0622 ）
Veiling the Vases
Blue and white porcelain, garden soil
Dimensions Variable
Fragment of Love
Colored sand, mod podge matte on canvas
20 × 20 × 1.5 in | 50.8 × 50.8 × 3 cm
Yellow-Green Self-Collage
Colored sand, mod podge matte on canvas
20 × 20 × 1.5 in | 50.8 × 50.8 × 3 cm
Distorted Chaos
Colored sand, mod podge matte on canvas
30 × 48 × 1.5 in | 76 × 121 × 3 cm
Self-Collage #1
Colored sand on cardboard
8.3 × 11.7 in | 21 × 29.8 cm
Self-Collage #2
Colored sand on cardboard
4 × 4 in | 10 × 10 cm
Self-Collage #9
Colored sand on cardboard
4 × 4 in | 10 × 10 cm
Self-Collage #10
Colored sand, matte gel, mod podge matte on canvas
10 × 8 × 1 in | 25.4 × 20 × 3 cm
Self-Collage #11
Colored sand, matte gel, mod podge matte on canvas
8 × 10 × 1 in | 20 × 25.4 × 1.5 cm
Self-Collage 13
Colored sand on cardboard
11.7 × 8.3 in | 29 × 21 cm
Photo courtesy of Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
“Death” is on view until January 10, 2026 at ModA Collaboratives, Floor 10, The Reef LA @the_reef_la
Stephen Radley（@aimlessdaydreamer ）
Late Night Drive on the 405
Archival Print on canvas, Neon, laser-cut acrylic, plastic pavement markers, stretched on found wood
48 × 24 in | 122 × 61 cm
Racing on Rainbow Road to Valhalla
Archival Print on Canvas, Neon, Laser-cut Acrylic, Stretched on found wood
49 × 36 in | 124.46 × 91 cm
Untitled(Videodrugz)
Video generated via Analog Video Synthesis on CRT
Dimensions Variable
flushing pills
Archival Print on canvas stretched on found wood
48 × 24 in | 122 × 61 cm
Photo courtesy of Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
“Death” is on view until January 10, 2026 at ModA Collaboratives, Floor 10, The Reef LA @the_reef_la
Nelson Wang
Loss to Legacy
Print on vinyl banner
36 × 24 in | 91 × 60 cm
Hurt to Humanity
Polaroid i-Type
88 × 107 mm
Photo courtesy of Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
“Death” is on view until January 10, 2026 at ModA Collaboratives, Floor 10, The Reef LA @the_reef_la
Liu Shi
Healing 5
Oil and acrylic
16 × 20 in | 40 × 50 cm
Healing 1
Oil and acrylic
16 × 12 in | 40 × 30 cm
Healing 2
Oil and acrylic
16 × 12 in | 40 × 30 cm
Healing 3
Oil and acrylic
16 × 12 in | 40 × 30 cm
Healing 4
Oil and acrylic
16 × 12 in | 40 × 30 cm
Phantom A
Acrylic
40 × 20 in | 100 × 60 cm
Phantom B
Acrylic
31.5 × 20 in | 80 × 50 cm
Photo courtesy of Chiu Pok Kwan @onlyabowl
“Death” is on view until January 10, 2026 at ModA Collaboratives, Floor 10, The Reef LA @the_reef_la
