In her MFA thesis exhibition, Star Montana returns to her family’s photo archive as a means of reflecting on the importance of spaces through time passed. By the rivers, I stood and stared into the Sun approaches fragmented histories in a cyclical way, reimagining lost time as part of the continuous cycle of life. Through a restructuring of various points in time, Montana brings forward a story of personal loss, sorrow, and growth–all in light of a hopeful future. She reflects on the histories documented by her grandmother and mother, mirroring their narratives in a carefully arranged array of portraits and landscapes. By the rivers, I stood and stared into the Sun takes an introspective look at the family portrait by departing from the familial group photo and focusing instead on each of the photographed subjects. By centering the narrative back on the individual, this body of work explores how members of her maternal family have affected the various histories that continue to unfold. Exhibited is a combination of Montana’s photography and archival photographs taken by various members of her family. These archival images resurface throughout the gallery, invoking a revisiting of a family history that is never fully told. Like melodies, the exhibited images sing out powerful hymns of resilience. Rather than sitting by the rivers of Babylon and weeping, Montana’s images depict a family lineage that is still standing. Confidently, she looks back, even if it means staring into the Sun. Star Montana is a photo-based artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. She was born and raised in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles, which is predominantly Mexican American and serves as the backdrop to much of her work. Her work has recently been exhibited at Charlie James Gallery (2019, 2016); Residency Art Gallery (2018); LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (2018); Occidental College (2017); The Mexican Center for Culture and Cinematic Arts at the Mexican Consulate General of Mexico (2017); The Main Museum (2017); Ballroom Marfa (2017); and Vincent Price Art Museum (2016). Montana will be an artist-in-residence at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in 2020. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Art from the University of Southern California, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the School of Visual Arts, and an Associate of Arts in Photography from East Los Angeles College. By the rivers, I stood and stared into the Sun is curated in collaboration with Ana Briz, doctoral student in the American Studies and Ethnicity program at the University of Southern California and former M.A. in the Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere program at the USC Roski School of Art and Design.