By Among the works featured at the student art gallery starting Feb. 24 were ceramic banana slugs, a couch cut in half propped up against a mirror, hair weave collages, photographs of extreme close ups and even art inspired by sex organs.
“It’s cool that we have multiple gallery spaces because we get so many people here as opposed to just one space where it would just be your homies,” said senior studio art major, Cyone Forrest, “You get so many viewers. It’s really exciting, it builds a community.”
A swarm of people assembled at the School of Art galleries Sunday night for the opening reception of the student exhibitions: “Sista Sista,” “Materiality,” “In The Rot,” “Family Sized Couch” and “Home Goodies.”
Forrest’s exhibition, “Home Goodies” featured a living room scene that overtly showcased male and female sex organs. She transformed ordinary furniture by adding a variety of penises, boobs and vaginas using different kinds of fabric in order to address the double standard that says women should not speak about sex publicly, while men can.
For many of the exhibiting artists, this was their first experience displaying work in a public gallery setting, including artists Andrew Phillips and Narumi Nekpenekpen.
“In the beginning I was like, ‘What’s going on’ because I’ve never experienced this before, but as I go around people have been asking me questions, so that has helped me talk about and express my pieces,” said Nekpenekpen, junior arts major, ceramics student.
Nekpenekpen included multiple ceramic statues of people, clothing items and other objects.
The young artists also insisted that their art could be displayed even though it wasn’t completely finished.
“I am not married to this layout. Even though it is a space of display and observation, it’s also a place of experimentation,” said junior fine arts, sculpture student Andrew Phillips referencing his featured work, “Family Sized Couch.”
Phillips’ exhibition was focused on how people navigate space and how individual’s perceptions dictate their memories. His installation included three large wooden construction frames, half a couch propped up against a mirror, a carpet half on the wall and half on the floor and multiple door knobs in unconventional spaces. It was based on memories from his childhood home.
“I’m just having fun, there’s no strict stone, like, this is [explicitly] what i’m doing,” Nekpenekpen said.
This installment of exhibitions runs between Feb. 24 until 28 at 5 p.m. They are located between Fine Arts Building 2 and Fine Arts Building 3 and are free to all.
