The Gatov gallery is currently hosting Connie DK Lane’s “Threshold” — a collection of large-scale mixed media sculptures from the artist’s subconscious mind.
Lane, a Cal State Long Beach Master of Fine Arts student, incorporated foreign objects to the sculptures made of paper pulp, fibers, coffee grounds, spices and armatures of polyurethane foam. The pieces are large and appear extremely heavy.
“I never know what is going to come from my subconscious,” said Lane. “I always follow my instincts when I am molding something and running my hands through the material.”
Each sculpture looks like it has gone through a decomposition process or has been rusting in the rain. The textures allow the viewer to see the direction she meant to build and mold the light materials.
Though each item looks heavy and rock-inspired, Lane used light items to create her sculptures. They hang from the ceiling like meat at a butcher’s shop, and decorated the floor with shoes left at the door.
“I love it. It’s stunning,” said Emily Eto, a student working to get into the MFA Fibers program. “It goes deep. It’s emotional and you don’t know why. Her work is normally colorful yarn, but this is pushing the materials to place where I’m not used to seeing it.”
Eto said it looked like guts coming out. Her experience of Lane’s exhibit is visceral; the pieces look real, organic and raw.
Monday’s audience at Lane’s exhibit was familiar with her work prior to “Threshold” but the sculptures still shocked them. Each item had something growing from it, like the white hair that grows out of potatoes and mold that grows on a moist mattress.
Lane’s pieces represent previous experiences, like memories of Hong Kong.
“I feel like this is starting a journey as an artist,” Lane said. “Like a threshold, you step in and step out, and it’s like a new beginning.”
The exhibit features more than 30 sculptures. Lane offers fortune cookies with a thank you note at the entrance and a floor map of the exhibit with the name of each piece. She has about seven more pieces that she eliminated from the exhibit due to space constrictions.
“I started last semester,” Lane said. “But the summer is when I do the most, and just keep moving and moving.”
Each piece promises to have a viewer on high alert to make sure they don’t run into anything on the floor or hanging from the ceiling. The pieces of decomposed coffee grounds, foam and fiber all resemble something but none are molded after anything.
“I want people to challenge what they see,” Lane said. “There is so much going on. It makes them think of what they feel or what’s going on.”
To view the “Threshold,” visit the Gatov student art gallery between FA2 and FA3 this week. The galleries are open between noon and 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
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