No Apologies
The exhibition No Apologies featured the work of several highly talented undergraduate sculptors. All of these artists utilized novel combinations of media including wood, metals, neon and glass to create intriguing pieces. The gallery was dazzling with such a diverse array of objects of so many different colors, textures, and sizes. There were some pieces small enough to fit together in a display case and some so large that they engulfed substantial amounts of floor space.
One of the most eye-catching pieces was “Parabolic Cloud Catcher” by Richard Bloom. It was a woven steel frame shaped like a giant teardrop with a spherical space in the center. This space was filled with a white latex orb that looked like a cross between a cloud and balloon. It hung from the ceiling suspended in the center of the room. It's simple shapes and large size reminded me of a large lantern that one might find in a home décor store. It was playful yet beautiful and thought-provoking.
On one of the walls opposite this structure was a piece that utilized steel and other metals in a completely different way. “EgoDistonics” by William Zev Wasserman featured a metal rectangular panel with a metal skeletal arm ripping a hole in the panel to reveal layers of steel mesh, metal bars, a hot pink neon tubes of light. The image was stirring and somewhat starting but quite enthralling. I found the use of neon in particular to be very innovative.
Scattered in a few places throughout the gallery were wood panels made by Audrey Miller. Upon first inspection, they appeared to be merely planks of wood. Once I looked more closely, I saw that she had carved out many of the swirling shapes in the panel to highlight the forms within the wood rather than molding it into a particular shape. The effect was strikingly beautiful. My appreciation was further deepened when I read her statement in which she eloquently described how she creates structures with wood by attempting to bring out the organic and interesting shapes within it.
Like many of the visitors to this exhibition, I was thoroughly intrigued by Elise Leutwyler's installation that engulfed the entire space in the back of the gallery. She had built was resembled a boat house near the water. It was a wooden shed balanced on pieces of a metal boat. Inside the shed were toys and pictures reminiscent of a very happy childhood. In her statement, she discussed her desire to create pieces and structures that evoke the joyful and relaxed attitude of childhood that is quickly forgotten upon reaching adulthood. By creating an entire space around this concept, she pulls the viewers fully into her artistic vision and captivates them accordingly.
There was so much to see in this show despite it being in a small gallery space with a limited number of pieces. Each piece had so much intricate detail with fascinating stories behind its creation. I am very optimistic about the futures of these young artists as they are already displaying extraordinary creativity within their discipline so early in their careers.