Sonja John: Balikbayan
October 18, 2026 - January 24, 2027The Pollack Family Learning Center transforms throughout the year with new installations, projects, and materials that extend and deepen the gallery experience.
Balikbayan is a site-specific installation created for the Katonah Museum of Art by artist Sonja John. In her practice, John combines elements from her surroundings in New York City with recollections of her family’s places of origin: Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Philippines. Using collage, stencils, and light, John investigates the tensions between constructed spaces and botanical forms to explore fictions of the Caribbean built from history, memory, and family archives. This installation celebrates the ingenuity of immigrant resourcefulness, reflecting the ways in which migration, the environment, agricultural practices, and cultural identity can shape our understanding of place.
Visitors are invited to experience Balikbayan, experiment with a range of mixed-media art projects, and interact with a collaborative light installation.
Featured Events
MEMBERS PREVIEW AND BREAKFAST Intermittent Islands: Four Caribbean Women Artists
October 18, 202610:00 AM - 12:00 PMExhibition Support
The Pollack Family Learning Center is made possible with support from Yvonne S. Pollack.
The Katonah Museum of Art is proud to be a grantee of the Leir Foundation, the Fred and Donna Nives Foundation, the James Rosenquist Foundation, ArtsWestchester with funding made possible by Westchester County government with support of County Executive Kenneth W. Jenkins and the Board of Legislators, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Credits
Installation view of Sonja John, "Floral Larceny", 2025, acrylic dye, spray paint, dried hibiscus pigments, vinyl on mylar, photographic prints (hand altered large format prints on mylar as well as collage and image transfers) and custom wall-mounted light box. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Varsha Venkatakrishna.