SMC exhibit explores artificial mediums
By KATIE RAND
News Writer
A new exhibit at the Moreau Center Art Gallery, entitled "Organic Forms and Synthetic Materials" showcases works by six unique artists: John Arndt, Aaron Baker, Yvette Kaiser-Smith, Lauren Lobdell, Suzannah Paul and Mary Temple. The work of the artists "has evolved out of [our] mutual fascination with artificial materials and surfaces coupled with an admiration for innovative form and spatial exploration," according to Temple.
Temple, a New York artist, has multiple pieces in the gallery, each with its own distinct characteristics. The colors, sizes and textures of each are completely different, but they were all made in the same way.
Each one is made of pieces of dried paint applied directly to the wall. Temple explained this interesting technique.
"I was in the studio attaching pieces of paint to canvas, boards etc. At some point, I was looking around the studio and saw the pieces of paint hung up on the wall to dry," Temple said. "The whole room then became my canvas; it opened up so many interesting possibilities."
According to Temple, one of the neatest aspects of these pieces is the "paintings" they form on the wall.
The light pouring through the openings in the paint shadows are made on the background surface contributes to the intricacy of the work.
"The light and shadows are as important as the pigments," Temple said.
Other segments of the exhibit include Suzannah Paul's small statues made of bent metal, rocks and plants. The pieces are kinetic, moving with the air currents.
Laura Lobdell's untitled works are from the series "Ultrasuade Drawing," and consist of seven pieces of ultrasuade in colors like magenta and lilac hung from the ceiling.
Students seemed to enjoy the new exhibit since it is different than the usual artwork showcased at Saint Mary's.
"I've enjoyed the past shows that Krista (Hoefle, Gallery Director) has set up, so I thought I would appreciate the artists she brought in for this one," said art student Tori Cox.
Also on Friday, an exhibit in the Hammes Gallery by Dianna Frid opened to the public. This segment is not a part of "Organic Forms and Synthetic Materials," but Frid said, "they are accidentally tied together."
Her works consist of uniting pieces from the floor plans of different national museums to form new creations. One smaller piece is made of cutouts from the maps of the Museum of Modern Art and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, both in New York City, among others. Frid cut out the different rooms from the maps and pasted them together in the shape of a labyrinth.
"It melds the idea of a museum as a place of culture with the idea of a labyrinth as a place where you get lost," Frid said. "It's a place of amusement, of mythical proportions, where your memory helps you get out."
Frid feels that there is playfulness in recomposing architectural places that really do exist. One of the larger pieces in her exhibit appears to be a fuller scale version of the museum labyrinth. Frid frayed cloth pieces similar to the museum floor plan cutouts and attached them in a labyrinth shape using pins.
"Even though it's flat on the wall and not taking up space, to me it's a sculpture," Frid said.
Both exhibits are full of unique works unlike any that Saint Mary's has shown recently. They will be in place through March 8.
All News Stories for Monday, January 28, 2002
