STOWAWAY is pleased to present Charms That Bring Us Back, a duo presentation by Brooklyn based Jongho Lee and Los Angeles based Alyss Estay, opening November 23rd from 5-8PM.

I am sorry to disappoint you and I know

you expected a lot more but the distances

of the universe are right here. You

wanted mysteries which could be explained,

made understandable as your disappointment is,

I know because I, too, am embarrassed to say

it’s no more than this which is just what we knew

since we knew anything. Well, take a look.

Guided Tour, William Bronk

Alyss and Jongho met in August 2022, when Alyss was cat-sitting for Esther Jr., their mutual friend Esther’s cat

Jongho took Alyss to Sandy Hook beach, New Jersey. It is his favorite beach; she had never been down the Jersey Shore. They took mushrooms, things got hairy. They found a lot of lantern flies (it was the first summer of the infestation), dipped in and out of the water under the balmy sun, and went to The Chubby Pickle. They were amazed by the greasiness of the burger and disappointed that the pickled vegetables were sweet, not sour.

Dylan and Jongho met in January 2015 in New York City. Dylan approached Jongho to introduce himself, and they became good friends and shared many drinks at “The Scratcher,” a bar that Dylan introduced Jongho to. Dylan opened Stowaway in Los Angeles in December 2023 and engaged Jongho about a potential show. Jongho invited Alyss to participate with him due to a synchronistic probing into shaped works and an affinity for abstraction. There are twelve works, six by each artist. Alyss, Dylan and Jongho hope you enjoy the show.

Alyss Estay (b. 1988, West Covina, CA) received a BFA from Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA). Estay’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Modest Common (Los Angeles, CA) and has been included in group shows at Bozo Mag (Los Angeles, CA), Museum of Museums (Seattle, WA); Good Mother (Oakland, CA); and Evening Hours (New York, NY). Her work has been featured in numerous publications including Juxtapoz and Artmaze Mag. Estay lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

Jongho Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, and received a BFA and an MA from NYU. He is the recipient of the Pilchuck Scholarship in 2018 in addition to being the resident artist’s assistant at Pilchuck Glass School. He lives and works between New Jersey and New York.