By Familiarity finds itself amongst the art with “Forgotten Faces,” nature-centered and more in this week’s student art galleries.
The Gatov Gallery, the largest of the four student galleries, shares the spotlight with artists Claudia McCain and Maile Iwanaga and their larger-than-life art pieces.
On McCain’s side of the exhibition, her display of several large paintings is entitled “Symbolon.” With the exception of one, patrons can find themselves tilting their heads upward at the art pieces. The paintings are layered with heavy coats of paint that convey a sense of weight and collaboration upon its canvas.
The pieces are consistent in their aesthetics, such as the organic and geometrical shapes which force the eye to travel around paintings that are free of specific form. With this, the viewer can come to terms with their own imagination.
On the other end is Iwanaga’s understandably titled “Carnivora Domesticatus.” Traditional artwork comes off the wall and onto the middle floor displaying various ceramic creatures from a large tiger and shark to an imaginative pig with a white horn placed upon its forehead.
The creatures are unrealistic, but not quite stylized. Certain subtle features of the animals make the viewer wonder why such detail would be added. The tiger in the middle of the room has an open spot on its side that resembles an engine that commands the center of attention once located. The one-horned pig is marked into sections with printed labels like ham and bacon. Iwanaga’s gallery has a playful atmosphere and takes the threat away with humor.
In a quiet display of nature, the Dutzi Gallery hosts Holy Ly’s artwork with 10 white ceramic objects on the floor. The objects resemble organic woodland and bird-like items as viewers walk through and observe the objects with a birds-eye view. They are very subtle and lack extreme detail but come as a surprise when viewers find themselves in one corner looking down at a bird that is more familiar in its shape.
Along the lines of nature, Tessia VanderGroen displays a few pieces of artwork from her four-year compilation. Entitled “Catalyst,”VanderGroen’s gallery features metal-smith, form manipulation and cast objects, referring to nature and her own emotion.
“It’s mostly things that have happened in my life, that I’ve touched on in each individual project, that I formally brought together [with respect to] what I like,” VanderGroen said.
For the most part, the metal distinct jewelry — such as a spiked bracelet and organic-shaped handle on a spoon — intertwine the artist’s expression of comfort within a process that helps recall her insecurities in past designs and come to terms with the present.
The Werby Gallery seems to display an almost stereotypical array of what an art gallery should look like. Without being completely out of the ordinary, a themed portrait display coats the walls in an exhibition entitled “The Forgotten Face” by artist Kevin O’Grady.
Medium to large-scale watercolor paintings hang with visual individuality. Portraits from headshots to full-body art pieces convey different facial expressions and moods.
Each painting is titled with names such as “The Librarian,” or self-portrait. Each face is either clearly depicted with harsh lines or blurred out. However, an exception would be an outline of a head without a face.
The weekly student art galleries run Monday through Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. between the FA2 and FA3 buildings.
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.
