By Jennie Cotterill never has a problem avoiding unpleasant chores, and if you visit her exhibit at this week’s art gallery presentations, neither will you.
Cotterill’s gallery, “On Work Avoidance,” is a multimedia mockumentary how-to guide on procrastination. Set up to resemble a museum, her installation makes use of dioramas, paintings, video and a humorous audio tour.
She said, “I do like the roadside museums and low budget unofficial museum presentations that you can find if you take a road trip, and the idea of glorifying whatever you want.”
“On Work Avoidance” is divided into three segments that represent her taxonomy of procrastination: distraction, replacement, and evasion. Each is a comical look at overzealous efforts to get out of work that ironically end up resembling work themselves.
Cotterill, MFA student in illustration, said her inspiration was in the artwork she found herself doing as part of her own efforts to avoid chores and responsibilities.
“In this exhibit, I’m trying to harness all that wasted energy and flip it around and make the negative the positive, and I really just want people to have a good time,” she said.
Another gallery is the work of Nathan Olsen, a master’s degree student in the printmaking program, whose brightly-colored prints depict familiar childhood characters such as ninjas, mummies, bankrobbers, bandits, robots and more.
Olsen said his exhibit, “Make Believe,” is about revisiting his childhood through the vantage point of being an adult. Through that perception shift, Olsen is able to find meanings in toys and cartoon characters that were hidden to him as a child.
One over-arching theme in Olsen’s prints is the presence of corporate profit motives in children’s toys and cartoons, things that he innocently accepted at face value when he was young.
“It’s a little weird these things that we loved as kids [are] about money to somebody,” he said.
Olsen also explores childhood notions of violence, fear, spirituality and divinity. These are all concepts children understand at an early age, he said, although in ways that seem unrealistic to adults.
“There was almost a spiritual comfort that I got from having this [teddy] bear,” he said. “You take comfort in simple things like that.”
Nancy Chiu is the featured artist in the Gatov Gallery East this week. Her pencil drawings are imaginative analogies between nature and human relationships inspired by her own experiences and observations.
Her visual metaphors often invoke imaginary creatures in magical fairytale-type settings. The drawings convey a sense of wonderment and seem to belong as illustrations in a children’s book.
Chiu’s work is highly intricate and easily lends itself to close examination for fine pencil work and minute attention to detail. Chiu said that although developing the concepts can take a long time, she can create each drawing in just a few days.
She cited ancient Chinese and Japanese artwork she’s seen in museums as an influence for her work, for example, in how water and grass are represented.
The art galleries take place daily until Thursday from noon to 5 p.m.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
