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From the editors We are proud to present the third issue of Dinner + No Show, which showcases the talents of artists and writers in the School of Art + Art History at the University of Florida. We strive to create a supportive, inclusive community by encouraging art history and studio art students to bridge the gap between disciplines through collaboration. The publication is divided into two portions: Dinner focuses on the final product of a student’s work, while No Show explores the creative process. Student artists and writers have produced an abundance of creative works throughout their time here, yet their innovations and research are not formally documented as a collective body of work. Since the university does not have a public arts program, this publication provides art and art history students with the opportunity to share their work with a larger audience. Dinner + No Show is filled to the brim with a diverse array of outstanding artwork and writing. Every year, we are amazed at what we are able to accomplish with the help and contributions of so many talented students. With utmost sincerity, we hope you enjoy our third issue, like a delicious meal paired with your favorite wine. Warmly, Dinner + No Show Team
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Contents on the table
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suggested pairings
Broaden Your Sense of Normal
Transactional Care
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Spectrum
The Divine Feminine According to Maeve
Frogs Freakin’ it
Discovering Familiarity
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Best Dressed
Bridging Two Peninsulas
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contents on the table
Regrowth
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The Many Identities of a Wondering Mind
Exploring Limbo
A Portrait Through Abstraction
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Illuminating the Other
Ruins
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The Wonder of Solitude
Eat Their Lies
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Collage and Color
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Through a Photographic Lens
Trim to Reveal
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WRITER
Hope Scheff
Art History and History Senior she/her
Broaden Your Sense of Normal:
Psychological Examinations into “Schoofl” Shooting Culture
ARTIST
John Walker + Mila Gajić Art & Technology Seniors he/him and she/her
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Their reciprocal and fluid investigations into narrative worldbuilding and artistic mediums provide their series with intellectual longevity, in addition to elevating the emotional impacts wrought by their narrative universes upon our own
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Previous page: John and Mila seated underneath Hugo Rescues Feeshy and Milky from the Shnowman (2020) and next to Sh (2019) at Broaden Your Sense of Normal, 4Most Gallery, Gainesville, Florida
a typical night, the creative collaborations between UF Art + Technology seniors, John ‘Feeshy’ Walker, and Mila Gajić begin with a handful of inside jokes, sidesplitting laughter, off-beat conceptual spit-balling...and a trip to the nearest vending machine. The pair’s palpable vivacity and joyfulness at first glance offset the morbid nature of their parodic and “post-ironic” multimedia investigations into the “psyche of America’s youth as they navigate school shooting culture” and the aftermath of the artists’ own emotional experiences. By focusing on the mental and emotional ramifications caused by gun violence, survivor’s guilt, and American school shooting culture—rather than action-related iconographies—John and Mila aim to investigate the various mechanisms through which individuals and communities navigate tension-filled and threatening environments. Through this project, John and Mila seek to create a visual space for emotional mediation and reconciliation, albeit without direct allusions to institutions or individuals that underwent the trauma of school shootings. By looking at “mass anxiety, paranoia, and persecutory attitudes,” instead of historical case studies, the pair circumvents illusionary and inhumane hierarchies that comparatively rank the tragedies of real-life school shootings. As such, their collaborative series, Broaden Your Sense of Normal, is composed of linked pseudo-fictional parallel universes of psychological variance in which various characters grapple with the tangible and intangible consequences caused by their threatening worlds. In their exhibition, Broaden Your Sense of Normal—held recently at the University of Florida affiliated 4Most Gallery from February 7 to 21, 2020—John and Mila displayed
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Broaden Your Sense of Normal
From left to right: Hot
Shot Shooting Gallery (2019), courtesy of Dylan Burgess and Jelena Pištinjat, Space Drill Y21K (2019), Mr. Matthews: “I HOPE I DON’T DIE :)” (2019), BYSoN (3D) (2019), Gunsweeper (i just wanna be okay) (2020), and Sh’s desk stashed with Feeshy’s Big Texas Cinnamon Roll and Milky’s Little Debbie Double Decker Oatmeal Cream Pie (2020)
Right to left: Xbox
Kinect capturing John’s movements; screenshot from Maya viewport; Mila modeling scenes in Maya software
Still from All My Marbles Are Lost (2019) featuring double screen “gloom render”
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Broaden Your Sense of Normal
eleven artworks. These works showcased the evolutions the series made across parallel worlds and mediums during John and Mila’s eight-month-long collaboration. While it was not the first artwork produced during their partnership, the single channel 4K video, All My Marbles Are Lost (2019), highlights John and Mila’s artistic and narrative interests in perspective, digital media, self/character, and reality/fantasy with their conceptual critiques on the United States’ and educational institutions’ mishandling of the ever-growing gun crisis. All My Marbles Are Lost is both a digital media and performance piece. To create the movements of its main character, Mr. Matthews, John performed the actions in front of an Xbox Kinect, which captured his movements and live animated them. Mila modeled the scenes in the 3D software Maya, while John animated the characters and edited the scenes into the final video. Throughout the process, John and Mila “continuously sought each other’s opinions and confirmations” to ensure mutual happiness and conceptual cohesion. The video’s characteristic unrefined dystopic and “bloxy” aesthetic is indebted to the kludge style of production that John and Mila experimented with at the time of the project’s inception; moreover, the “bloxy” aesthetic style references the cross-platform online game Roblox, which partly inspired the original Mr. Matthews’ design and the online performance screen recordings. All My Marbles Are Lost follows the daily ritual of Mr. Matthews, the principal of Schoofl High School—partially inspired by the Geography teacher from the video game Bully: Scholarship Edition—who still maintains his position even though his entire student population is zero (an occurrence that is never explained throughout the video).
From left to right: still from All My Marbles Are Lost (2019) featuring Mr. Matthews dancing in a double screen “gloom render” and “Roblox screen recording”
Trapped in an emotional dystopia of wavering purpose, Mr. Matthews navigates the deserted halls of the dilapidated school and attempts to preserve what once was, in addition to preventing what is: his crippling anxiety and fear of death for himself and his wife, Mrs. Matthews, Schoofl’s computer science teacher. Throughout the video, the animations shift in style and aesthetic between the dark gloom of reality (i.e. “gloom render” and “flat render”) and Mr. Matthews’ cheerful illusion of imperishable mundanity (i.e. “Roblox screen recording”). To distract himself from his “gloom render” reality, Mr. Matthews engages in a series of activities: swimming, surveilling, and most notably, dancing. Set to a distorted track of “Pumped Up Kicks”—originally recorded by Foster the People and remixed by Bridge and Law—Mr. Matthews performs chaotic choreography full of skips, hops, and arm waves. His paroxysmal dancing expresses the complicated cacophony of emotions and inefficaciousness that he attempts to—but can no longer—contain through empty words, praises, and suggestions to his fellow peers and students. By hyperbolizing Schoofl’s lack of students and Mr. Matthew’s emotional “deconstruction through movement,” All My Marbles Are Lost ironically unifies the ongoing feelings of distraught and guilt that the various characters throughout John and Mila’s parallel worlds feel following school shooting-like events, in addition to formally alluding to the media’s role as a deceptively safe space for emotional coping and its perpetuation of desensitized and stunted mass reactions to traumatic events. Through interactive artworks such as Space Drill: Y21K (2019)—“a Dance Dance Revolution inspired school shooting training game that physically prepares users to outrun a
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If you want to see more collaborative or individual artworks by John Walker and Mila Gajić, please visit: broadenyoursenseofnormal. com, johnfeeshy.com, and milagajic.com.
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Broaden Your Sense of Normal
potential shooter”—and Pumped Up Kicks Bridge and Law Remix Lyric Video and Visualizer (VR) (2020)—a virtual reality musical experience—John and Mila extended the narrative worlds presented in All My Marbles are Lost (2019) into the physical space of the spectator. Their reciprocal and fluid investigations into narrative world-building and artistic mediums provide their series with intellectual longevity, in addition to elevating the emotional impacts wrought by their narrative universes upon our own. These explorations encourage the viewer to deconstruct their self-imposed boundaries between character/self, reality/ fantasy/expectations, narrative/life, and escape/entrapment. Like the characters themselves, it is up to the viewer to ascertain the events and consequences of which they participate through the simple means of spectatorship. By putting a “mirror to what is existing,” John and Mila’s series, Broaden Your Sense of Normal, encourages its viewers to draw parallels between their own experiences and those represented in the alternate worlds. In other words, Broaden You Sense of Normal asks its viewer: has your sense of normal already been broadened?
WRITER
Lexi Peterson
Art History, Chinese, and Linguistics Junior she/her
Spectrum
ARTIST
Salvatore Franco Painting Senior he/him
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Franco not only highlights a largely underappreciated and misunderstood culture but uses this subject matter to explore other themes of transformative experiences in himself
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Salvatore Franco, Inertia Watercolor and gouache on paper, 5½″ x 7½″, 2019
today’s age, it is safe to declare that those of recent generations have a high awareness that nothing in this world is truly black and white. This level of consciousness about society and the people in it is what drives the 4th year painting major Salvatore Franco’s art. In his “Idols and Icons” series on drag artists in Gainesville, Franco not only highlights a largely underappreciated and misunderstood culture but uses this subject matter to explore other themes of transformative experiences in himself. Franco’s works are split into two series referred to as the “Icons”, and the, “Idols”. Both series subject matter revolves around the Queens, but the moments illustrated have drastically different connotations. In his “Idols” series, a Queen or multiple Queens are posed in full-body frontal profile and take up most of the gold-leaf background. They all portray intense expressions, while others have additional elements such as an umbrella and a lighter with a lit cigarette. The borders are also thick and painted gold, reflective of classical design. Considering the “Icon” series, named for using watercolor and gouache instead of oil paint, are much smaller in size than the “Idol” series. Each painting illustrates a singular Queen during a performance, caught in her act strutting, posing, and dancing on stage in front of an audience who mimics the viewers’ perspective. Although the borders are still gold, the backgrounds show the club’s scenery mixed with shadows and vibrantly colorful lighting. Most distinct in this series is the self-portrait the artist includes of himself sitting at a club alone, darkness obscuring most of his identity. In Franco’s earlier works he had focused on transformative themes in evolutionary biology which he hopes to contin-
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Spectrum From top to bottom:
Salvatore Franco, Alexia Fantasia and London Darling Watercolor and gouache on paper, 6″ x 8″, 2019
From top to bottom:
Salvatore Franco, J’adore Lagore and Rachel Boheme Watercolor and gouache on paper, 6″ x 8″ and 4″ x 6″, 2019
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Salvatore Franco, The Loves Oil and gold leaf on board, 4′ x 3′, 2019
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Spectrum
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ue and mold with other concepts. Franco knew he wanted to start the drag series to learn more about the culture in Gainesville, Florida, and felt this subject matter could reach out to the public in a more impactful, engaging way. After developing relations with members of Gainesville’s drag community and partaking in many of the activities of drag culture to initially conduct artistic research, Franco unexpectedly found himself in his own transformative reality in becoming a queen. The experience of embodying his recent alter ego, Regina Gorgon, who makes infrequent appearances in downtown Gainesville is itself a testament to the artist’s dedication and passion towards this culture and his own artistic journey. Other elements of both his series are inspired by early European religious paintings which used gold backgrounds and biblical figures as icons. He found ironic satisfaction in giving the Queens a religious-like status which addresses historically traditional ideas of opposing any forms of gender-bending and maintaining strict binary roles. Although within his “Icons” series, his purpose is to capture the essence of each Queen’s identity and character which they so diligently have worked to establish. Despite that the picture is a combination of multiple shots, Franco feels his fabricated final image represents the most authentic likeness of each Queen in the environment where they flourish. As much as these series demonstrate for the viewers what the heart of drag culture is, it also is a window into Franco’s own growth, as he puts it, “An identity in development.”. Ultimately, these works validate that no matter how hard society tries to categorize and monetize the fluidity of the world, it will never silence those that know everything is all a spectrum.
From top to bottom: Dayhelyn
and Behead the System Gelatin silver print, 2019
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Frank, 2020,
‘MERICA Pins and needles— and there’s a constellation of holes throughout me that look too much like my home and some people don’t think that’s beauty some people think that’s just pain Ask me how I rowed my way here and I’ll tell you I didn’t— I swam I swallowed I opened my jaw and all the wine-red sea spilled through me (and washed me clean, clean of what could’ve been and what never will be) Like the whale in fairytales, I house people inside me— I house all my people in me all the people that couldn’t be here all the people that died trying to Tell me again about how you desperately hope I didn’t cross the ocean trying to save myself and I’ll tell you how this poem would be more beautiful in my native tongue how my identity is fragmented and doesn’t fit anywhere Lecsy Gonzalez
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WRITER
Shannon Moriarty
Art History Senior she/her, they/them
Frogs Freakin’ it
ARTIST
Drew
Art History Senior they/them
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The harm done to these animals is minimized because it makes them “gay,” not that they are losing their safety in the natural world
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Drew, “The Chemicals in the Water are Turning the Freakin’ Frogs Gay!” – [Fuck] Alex Jones Mixed Materials, 2019
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Frogs Freakin’ it
“The Chemicals in the Water are Turning the Freakin’ Frogs Gay!” – [Fuck] Alex Jones, Drew uses life-scale, naturalistically painted ceramic frogs to express their dual interest in sexuality and the environment. As an amphibious species, frogs are dangerously susceptible to changes in their environment, since their delicate skin soaks up moisture from its surroundings. The skin of frogs can soak up chemicals as noted by Alex Jones, a radio-show host and well-known far-right conspiracy theorist. Though Jones is mocked in the title, the artist used the quote from Jones to humorously tie together the misdirected concerns of Jones to the artist’s own queer sexuality and genderqueerness in addition to their concern for the environment in an interesting emphasis on the similar concerns across the political spectrum with different expressions of a growing concern for the environment. Through these ceramic amphibians, Drew explores the inherently queer nature of amphibians, primarily of frogs. Many people find them repulsive, but they are generally not harmful (some species are poisonous, but humans should not touch frogs regardless of the possibility of poisoning). As an animal, amphibians live within an ambiguous state as land and water animals. They develop from an awkward aquatic tadpole form, to a semi-aquatic from, to an adult, land form. Though each amphibian goes through its own process of becoming its final form, one may quickly recall the similarities to the transition experiences of transgender. Additionally, amphibians cannot be identified as a specific gender in this piece due to lack of visible sexual characteristics, such as genitalia, another expression of ambiguity. The amphibians in the piece are unique, rare frog and toad species that are depicted in their most sexually flam-
boyant physical form which they only show during their respective mating seasons. The artist explored the enjoyability of sexual experimentation with the comedic pairings of tiny amphibians of much larger one, such as the small yellow amphibian (Kihansi spray toad) mounting the head of a much larger pink-gray amphibian (purple frog); the yellow frog is just one of the species that emphasizes the ability of nature to recover despite negative human interference. In addition to depicting uncommon species, Drew paired the amphibians to show combinations of sex between species that have dramatic size differences and would not be able to interact with each other in the wild, which mimics real-world inter-racial/inter-ethnic relationships. These eccentric pairings are evocations of non-normative sexual relationships, meant to prevent the interpretation that these pairings are representative of cisgender heterosexual relationships and sex. They also depict a humanistic quality through the seven total amphibians sex positions discovered by scientists; the multiplicity of positions implies that the amphibians have sex for pleasure, not just procreation, alluding to a more complicated and relatable experience of sexuality. Drew’s piece is a playful and informative study of the pleasures and dangers of queer gender and sexuality. On one hand, the colorful amphibians are enjoying the company of each other and causing no harm to the viewer, but on the other hand, many still find them inherently repulsive. There is a visceral connection one feels to these amphibians having sex. Upon viewing it, one may be drawn to a specific animal or pairing and see themself or their relationship in these amphibians. There is something so human about seeing oneself in others, even if who you find most
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Frogs Freakin’ it
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relatable is a tiny bright yellow frog. Upon, re-reading the title “The Chemicals in the Water are Turning the Freakin’ Frogs Gay!” – [Fuck] Alex Jones, one thinks that the concern for these frogs is due to their sexuality, not how humans have poisoned them. The harm done to these animals is minimized because it makes them “gay,” not that they are losing their safety in the natural world—a world made toxic by others, which is an all too familiar experience for queer people. As a queer individual, there is comfort in recognizing oneself in natural world, especially when other of your own species see you as inherently repulsive just for being who you are.
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From left to right: Brianna Beckford, Broward
Bum and Savage-Sow, Money-Pig Digital illustration, 2019
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WRITER
Carolyn Lightsey
Art History Sophomore she/her
Regrowth: Overcoming Man-Made Boundaries ARTIST
Aryana Moghadasi Creative Photography Freshman she/her
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The scene is a quiet place, simultaneously natural and industrial; dirty, but pristinely peaceful
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ryana Moghadasi found this overgrown greenhouse on UF’s campus. She explained how she watched plenty of people pass by the structure, but no one took enough interest to go inside. In fact, as she went on describing the spot, I was certain I’d passed it myself, but never ventured inside. This greenhouse was hidden in plain view and had not been used in a long time. One enclosure was empty; the empty section of the greenhouse allowed Moghadasi to explore with tilted perspectives and play with the metallic support beams and their geometric patterns. Moghadasi described them as “skeletal” and says she noticed as they were developing that the images were reminiscent of the grand European gothic cathedrals. Architecture was always a subject of interest for her. She expressed an admiration for Islamic architecture, which is evident in her work. The walls of Islamic palaces and mosques are covered in tile patterns that contrast geometry with vegetal, natural forms. Moghadasi’s photos highlight the same combination, although the organic images were created by natural forces, not artisans. The scene is a quiet place, simultaneously natural and industrial; dirty, but pristinely peaceful. Twisting vines and unruly leaves overcome their potted restraints, exuding life. While the girl in the white dress intrudes on this realm of green, her touch is gentle, and her smile passive. The ethereal quality of the filmic accentuates her softness. The human presence emphasizes the meeting of nature with the man-made world. It’s this meeting point that inspired Moghadashi to create this series of film photography. She wants to capture the corners of the world where a building or element of construction has been left, forgotten and taken back by the earth.
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Regrowth Aryana Moghadasi, Glasshouse 35mm film, 2019
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Regrowth There is an element of irony in the subject of photos. While green houses are built by men to nurture plants, they are also captive spaces. Scientists can harbor foreign plants to run tests, combine DNA pieces, and manipulate nature. It is a controlled environment. However, Moghadasi has found a crack in the man-made control. A space built to contain its “prisoners� becomes overtaken when not maintained. Nature, when left alone, prevails. There is a more ominous message carried by the empty greenhouse, presumably cleared out by humans when the research was finished. The choice of black and white film accentuates the ethereal, eerie quality of empty greenhouse. We as humans can just destroy, remove or relocate many elements of nature as we please. But there must be limits. The relationship between man and environment is an important topic of discussion with the increasingly imminent threat of climate change. In the sea of facts and figures and difficulties associated with finding a solution, it is almost reassuring to see a space where nature has begun to fight back against human manipulation. The plants escaped their pots, but the girl is still able to explore the enclosure. There is a respectfulness, a balance between the two parties. In black and white, there is an image of hope for a future natural balance.
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AMORE You want to hold the world The whole world, in your eyes And see all that there is to be seen, In hopes of finding a universe. You climb mountains cross bridges, walk on water-- All in search of hidden secrets. Perhaps you’ll find who you’re meant to be And if it’s possible to grasp every wonder in those eyes. Dayhelyn Frank
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Dayhelyn Frank, Benedicte Digital photograph, 2019
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WRITER
Macarena Deij Prado Art History Ph.D. she/her
The Many Identities of a Wondering Mind ARTIST
Selina Wagner Drawing Senior she/her
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Selina has mastered the genre of portrait on paper as much as on canvas, creating a body of autobiographical pieces that are dense and as genuine as they could possibly be
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Selina Wagner, Managers, Exiles, and Firefighters Charcoal, graphite, ink, gesso, canvas, hair, 2019
first encounter with the work of Selina Wagner was a moving experience in which I learnt about an artist’s intimate exploration of a multiple and evolving identity. This was also the first time I met the artist, and as she walked me into her studio I saw several small preliminary sketches she had hung on a wall, presented next to some of her drawings on paper. As I turned to the wall behind me, I faced an enormous canvas that no longer reflected the concern with detail and precision in the sketches and drawings, rather a desire to depart from that. Three works that I saw in this absolutely inspiring studio visit were what particularly drew me to this conclusion. In Confrontation, Tangled in Thought, and Managers, Exiles, and Firefighters (figs. 1, 2 and 3) she metaphorically presents multiple selves inhabiting her. The first drawing shows two twin faces in profile looking at each other. This is a self-portrait of a dualistic identity, whereby the confronting gaze of the two faces remains contemplative, as an embodiment of one wandering mind. Although there’s something about lost and internal separation that defines this portrait, it’s also based on an intrinsic union and complementary relationship of the two identities. The hair connecting them emphasizes that. This is a seemingly natural, organic presence that though bizarre can also be seen as a symbol of permanent growth. Tangled in Thought, instead, reveals a sense of suffocation. Here, the hair seen in the previous drawing takes over the entire composition as confusing, flowing and infinitely interconnected locks. Four hands emerge out of this entanglement, trying to reach out to something that could release them from this asphyxia. Selina’s work with graphite
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The Many Identities of a Wondering Mind
Selina Wagner, Tangled in Thought Graphite, 2019
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Selina Wagner, Confrontation Graphite, white chalk, toned paper, 2019
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The Many Identities of a Wondering Mind
here is exquisite. The elegant lines, the mastery in the effect of light and shadow she achieved, and the detailed realistic work observed in the representation of the hands, speaks for a work in which the artist has successfully dominated her media to communicate a profound feeling of confusion. In keeping her focus on self portraits, and driven by her interest in exploring new dimensions and materials, Selina’s current work has also taken a different direction. In this context, Managers, Exiles, and Firefighters stands as a break from a detail-based approach that can be seen in the previous drawings. Using charcoal, she explores looser stroke work in the rendering of three body-length figures. Again, we are witnessing the presence of multiple identities embodied here and facing the viewer. The two figures on the extremes stand, while the central body sits. The figure on the left seems to be concerned about the expression of anguish on the face of the second figure, turning her body towards the latter, the left arm touching the back of the central figure’s hair in an act of compassion. The last figure seems uninterested and distant, projecting a defiant gaze and crossing her arms in front of her body. At last, kindness, suffering, and indifference meet in the painting to convey three different aspects of the artist’s self. These pieces show how Selina has gone from a contemplative, private and personal approach that a technique such as drawing evokes, to a more performative, less controlled and loose work permitted by the use of charcoal on canvas. By doing so, the artist has released herself from needing to have absolute control over the result of her work and, although planned, has welcomed the unexpected in her compositions. Selina has mastered the genre of portrait on paper as much as on canvas, creating a body of autobiographical pieces that are dense and as genuine as they could possibly be.
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Alicia Lores, Windows of Silence Photograph, 2018
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WRITER
Olivia Masih Art History Senior she/her
The Wonder of Solitude ARTIST
Rebecca Matson Painting Senior she/her
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The space and figures in her paintings convey a sense of realism and emotional ambiguity that obscure her own perceptions of that moment, allowing her viewers freedom in interpretation
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Rebecca Matson, Oblivious Oil on canvas, 2019
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Rebecca Matson, Pool Party Oil and gold leaf on canvas, 2019
are exposed to moments of the mundane daily, thinking very little of them. Rebecca Matson takes these ordinary, fleeting scenes and reinterprets them in her paintings, posing a question of what these moments really implicate. Intrigued by the heavy presence of technology in daily life, Matson explores the paradox of loneliness that stems from it. Technology gives us unlimited contact to people, yet its consumption often leaves us physically alone; it is this moment of physical self-alienation that pervades Matson’s paintings. All too often, loneliness brings negative connotations, but Matson argues that is not always the case, that life’s peaceful, fulfilling moments are often experienced alone. She became especially inspired last spring, while experiencing positive moments of loneliness in environments that were comforting to her, but maybe not to others. Often, these moments came from limited access to technology. Matson suggests that as a society, we harbor a collective fear of being cut off from technology’s social flow, one consisting of false connections that leave us in an almost suffocating loneliness once we are unplugged. Matson engages this in the compositions and formal choices of her paintings, such as Pool Party. The title of this piece itself is ironic; it suggests the notion of a party with multiple people, but instead depicts a lone girl. The girl sits on the edge of a pool with a towel draped over her head. The water takes up half of the composition, seemingly referencing a sense of drowning, much like how one can feel when alone. Matson’s compositions are not posed, rather modelled after observational snapshots she takes. Often moments that many people would perceive as passive or lonely, Matson interprets them differently. Her paintings tend to portray an expansive public setting, with most material objects
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The Wonder of Solitude
removed to empty the space and highlight a lone human figure. This depicts the physicality of being alone in spaces where one has the option not to be. The space and figures in her paintings convey a sense of realism and emotional ambiguity that obscure her own perceptions of that moment, allowing her viewers freedom in interpretation. These paintings harken a scene of social inactivity similar to those of 19th and 20th century modern Realist artists. Compared to Degas’ L’absinthe, Manet’s Plum Brandy, and Hopper’s Nighthawks, Matson’s work becomes a contemporary interpretation of the Realist movement. For example, in Oblivious, Matson has emptied the room of all material objects, leaving a girl on her phone and a nearby door open. The size of the painting is almost life-size, offering viewers an immersive experience. The walls of the room are barren, with only a purple blanket covering the window and obscuring the outside world. The girl lies on a green, checkered bedspread, leisurely half-dressed, on her phone with her legs up and crossed, clearly in a relaxed state. The positioning of her legs leads the viewer’s gaze to the open door, which Matson provides as a symbol of the freedom that lies just outside. Matson’s incorporation of modern Realist values helps address implications of loneliness that come with the convenience of technology.
WRITER
Mark Hodge
Art History Ph.D. he/him
Eat Their Lies
ARTIST
Hilman Chan Art Education Junior she/her
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Many of these phrases are repeated multiple times, calling into question their sincerity, or, at the very least, indicating a cyclical pattern of behavior that would eventually strip such words of any and all effectualness
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Hilman Chan, Eat Their Lies Acrylic paint, 2019
manating from the upper and lower left corners of the canvas, two sources of light illuminate the portrait figure. Rendered in heavy, painterly brushstrokes, the light from these two sources falls over the female subject with varying intensity. As the eye of the viewer traces this light across the canvas, they are presented with a young woman, seated at a table, eating from a bowl. Instead of soup or cereal or some other type of food that one might expect, words fill the bowl and spill down from the spoon that the woman lifts to her mouth. Upon closer inspection the words become phrases and, with another moment of concentration, the phrases become clear. Excuses, apologies, and reassurances overflow the edges of the dish and stream down from the spoon: “I’m sorry,” “I’m fine,” “It was one time,” “I’m just tired,” “It was a joke,” “I don’t need help.” Many of these phrases are repeated multiple times, calling into question their sincerity, or, at the very least, indicating a cyclical pattern of behavior that would eventually strip such words of any and all effectualness. The work is literally and figuratively composed in shades of gray. Literally: the thickly applied black and gray acrylic generates a somber atmosphere that seems to be set apart from any real, physical space. The desaturated tones found only in reproductions of the natural world imply an interiority, a mental space. Figuratively: several elements of the work bespeak an indeterminacy (is the hand being raised or lowered? Is the subject looking down at the spoon in resignation to another mouthful or, having paused the ascent of the spoon, looking down questioning the necessity of another bite?), but nowhere are these indeterminacies, these metaphorical shades of gray, clearer than in the phrases, themselves, that fill the bowl and are consumed by the subject.
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Eat Their Lies
Nearly all of the remarks work from two points of view: they could be spoken to the subject by someone else and/ or, reflexively, they could be words the subject tells herself. Many of the statements, marked out as untrue by the fact that they have to be repeated, would be hurtful lies to be told by someone else. However, the consequences for telling them to yourself could be far more devastating. Vacillating between and existing at the same time as both others’ excuses and the self’s justifications, these phrases are taken in and digested within the interior space created by the painting. Weak rationalizations, dubious affirmations, repeated, hollow apologies, and other such unwholesome nourishment all ingested by the subject, all fed to the subject by the subject. All from two sources, that like the two sources of light at the edges of the work, together, shape how the subject is seen and how she sees herself.
WRITER
Skyler Rose Dunbar
Art History and Political Science Freshman she/her
Exploring Limbo: Dual Themes in Diptych ARTIST
Micah Lomel Painting Senior she/her
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“Limbo 1” is infused with themes of depth, intermediacy, uncertainty, and personal reflection, culminating in a final work that displays Micah’s growth and explorations as both a student and an artist in her senior project
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Micah Lomel, Limbo 1 Layered diptych painting, 2019
icah Lomel explores the intermediacy and temporality of time and the emotional dichotomy of liminal space in her senior project “Limbo 1.” Created over the course of two months, with additional edits and revisions months after the work’s initial creation, “Limbo 1” is a layered diptych painting that confronts viewers with the parallels of euphoria and stress in a blissfully isolated location. On the larger left canvas, viewers witness a single leg step into calm waters in navy hues, while on the right, the leg continues upwards to reveal a woman floating in the water. Her head just breaches the water’s surface, which surrounds her face in a pool of vivid red, her body a glowing, rich magenta hue. Micah explores stress and euphoria as equally important factors of her painting, with the woman’s body entirely relaxed as she floats in a position of utter calm, her head peeking above the surface just enough for her to breathe, but the small capture of the painting leaving viewers unsure of her safety as her surroundings are unclear, and dangers of drowning or sinking incoming may linger beyond the canvas’ edge. Micah explores the use of the term “limbo” in a literal context, emphasizing that the content of her work can stand alone without the religious associations its title brings forth. In Christian theology, limbo is described as a location for the souls of unbaptized infants and innocents who died before the coming of Christ who, unable to reside in Heaven or Hell, live eternally in a purgatorial residence of neither good nor evil. Paintings of limbo are commonly rather grim, with artists like Jan Brueghel the Elder and Hieronymus Bosch depicting it as a bleak, cavernous landscape in which lost souls wander endlessly in their realm of intermediacy and isolation. Micah challenges this traditional narrative with
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“Limbo 1” as it replaces limbo’s denotation of an abyssal afterlife, reinterpreting it as a state of being, an emotional and mental location. While exploring limbo as a locus, she ponders the lack of focus, experience of simultaneous euphoria and stress, and sense of intermediacy brought about by distraction, creating a limbo-like state of temporary tranquility and anxiety. She explains that this liminal space is a journey through the “poetic” reinterpretation of limbo as something greater than its religious connotations, as a location one can access through the privilege of distraction, and as an examination of awkward gaps in time and their relationship to, or as, a state of limbo. As her senior project, “Limbo 1” is a flourishing display of Micah’s growth, merging her exploration of artistic and intellectual pursuits simultaneously and manifesting personal and academic growth on the canvas through production and conceptualization. The use of a limited, dramatic color scheme of rich magenta, pools of red, and hues of icy blue heightens the tenseness of the work. Micah’s use of such bright hues against a dark, navy background serves not only to emphasize the woman as the central focus of the piece, but also to call forth the emotional associations she has made with these colors through synesthesia. Micah refers to red and magenta as pleasant colors, red in particular conjuring a sense of grand space while still being isolated within one’s self. This further explores the nature of the dichotomous relationship between isolation and endless space already existing within the work. “Limbo 1” is infused with themes of depth, intermediacy, uncertainty, and personal reflection, culminating in a final work that displays Micah’s growth and explorations as both a student and an artist in her senior project.
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From left to right: Marina
Sachs, ADULT VIDEO, and KAITLIN CRIED
35mm photograph, 2019, and 2020
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WRITER
Leah Harrell
Art History and Anthropology Sophomore she/her
A Portrait Through Abstraction ARTIST
Ellee Ruder Painting Sophomore she/her
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Her overall philosophy for making art is to experiment and challenge herself
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Ellee Ruder, Aluminium Foil Oil paint and charcoal
the midst of jagged lines and reflected light, the outline of a human form comes into focus. Within the potential, initial chaos found in Aluminum Foil, a portrait emerges in this world of aluminum foil, made of swashes of blacks, grays, and whites constructed by thin, smooth brushstrokes. The figure is the lone form within this composition, as well as the sole focus. Sitting in the center, it turns to its left, as if focused on something out of sight for the viewer. There is no suggested movement within the figure or frame, yet the crinkle of the aluminum foil and reflection of light instill it with a sense of action and motion. Without color, there is then only the reflected light and shadows within the foil that break up the monopoly of the silver. Artist Ellee Dior Ruder’s process for constructing this piece, Aluminum Foil, was slightly unusual, yet ingenious. She first created her model for this painting through wrapping a friend in aluminum foil. Her inspiration to use this aluminum foil was “so it wouldn’t be so boring.” Then, using various photographs of this aluminum-wrapped friend as reference, Ruder employed oil paint and charcoal to portray the photo-realistic look she desired. The idea of a portrait through abstraction can also be a guiding light when encountering this image. One can easily recognize the human form in the center of the canvas, separated from the background by the orientation of the thin lines that denote the aluminum foil in this image. The piece also recalls the fashion of a portrait through its vertical orientation and close focus on the figure, with a notable lack of foreground. However, its novelty lies within the abstraction that causes its ambiguity. The figure depicted front and central is the portrait of a person. However, it is
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not anyone in particular. It is a person in general. A person who could be anyone or at the same time, no one. This idea of a portrait through abstraction guides the viewer through the simple composition, yet dynamic content. However, to dive past just the physical part of this painting, the viewer can also see the artist’s desire to shelter and disconnect herself. The very material of the foil contributes to this want. Besides reflecting the light within the composition and acting as the mode of abstraction within the scene, the foil also offers the figure a shield from us who observe it. It reflects light without letting any through, isolating the figure and repelling all outside elements away from the dark, voidlike interior where they must sit. Moreover, just as aluminum foil preserves food in our world, it will also preserve the forms within this painting. The figure itself then hunches over, creating a sense of a lack of confidence that can easily be read into the painting. This posture was purposely done to reflect Ruder’s own internal thoughts and feelings of inferiority and showcase them to an audience who can use it to reflect on their own internal thoughts or desire to shelter themselves. Another work by Ruder also plays on the sharp contrasts between color and forms present in Aluminum Foil. Hand Study is a compositional study based on various
Ellee Ruder, Hand Study Acrylic on art board
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scans of hands photoshopped together. While some may attribute an ominous quality to this work, Ruder’s influence when positioning the different hands was simply to fit the composition and because it looked cool, not to add any inherent meaning. This trend can be seen within her oeuvre, as Ruder admits her work may tend to appear dark or even creepy at times. However, this is merely accidental, as she simply chooses to focus on what each composition requires within each of her works, instead of adhering to any style. These pieces by Ruder may be guided by her dedication to the appearance and aesthetic quality of each piece and the overall impression given to the viewer, yet it is her internal feelings and desire to shelter herself that she wishes to share with others which truly add meaning. Her overall philosophy for making art is to experiment and challenge herself. Aluminum Foil was one of the most challenging pieces she has done, but she hopes viewers will be able to relate aspects within her work to their own lives, problems, and emotions, yet she also still believes the viewer “can think about whatever they want, if they think it means something, then that’s as valid as what I think it means.”
WRITER
Maddie Haggbloom
Visual Art Studies Senior she/her
Best Dressed
ARTIST
April Moore Costume Design Sophomore she/her
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She enjoys finding and exploring an era’s accepted social norms, and her use of thrifted material acts as a statement against the fast-fashion industry, given fashion being one of the worst pollutants
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pril Moore, a sophomore majoring in costume design, holds a love for both fashion and fine art, leading to a less conventional approach to costume-making. Moore’s background in fine art began in high school upon attending several artistic summer institutions. One of her earliest conceptual pieces, Shattered, is a self-portrait featured through a broken mirror. The work is meant to express the artist’s personal experience with an eating disorder and subsequent therapy, having been told to shatter a mirror and reassemble the pieces as a symbol of reconstruction. Moore’s interest in costume design did not begin until later, when assisting with a seventeenth-century-style wardrobe for her school’s production of Cinderella. Since then, she has gone on to create works such as The Feminist, combining her respect for fine art with her love of costume design and drawing inspiration from the discussions of camp from the 2019 MET Gala. Camp assumes an over-the-top sense of artificiality and exaggerated extravagance through elements of irony, parody, theatricality, and the uncanny. The Feminist was created as part of a recycled art competition, made from salvaged feminist novels and modeled after the style of first ladies’ inaugural gowns from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Her process often begins with a week of planning, ideation, and preparation, including research or thrifting of materials. For The Feminist, this included wrapping a dress form with plastic wrap, combined with a sturdier bubble wrap under the skirt, and using papier-mâché to mold the recycled pages into the shape of a dress, which was then covered by a black overskirt made from a simple trash bag. For many of her pieces, Moore uses a draping method rather than patterns, padding her dress forms to their decid-
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ed measurements, pinning felt into place, and attaching fabric or other materials over it. Numerous works are also handsewn before running a solid stitch through the machine. Much of Moore’s research investigates trends in history, as well as sociopolitical issues that may have influenced the fashion of the time. She enjoys finding and exploring an era’s accepted social norms, and her use of thrifted material acts as a statement against the fast-fashion industry, given fashion being one of the worst pollutants. Moore notes the generally unacknowledged privilege of living in a country where quick, mass production of clothes is encouraged, finding it “interesting how simply going out and buying a t-shirt can be something that can impact a lot of people.” Despite the cyclical nature of the fashion industry, people discard clothing in the pursuit of meeting trends. Moore’s most recent project, Fashion is Non-Binary, furthers her interest in using unconventional, thrifted materials and exploring notions of gendered clothing. The work focuses on the idea that all clothing is inherently unisex, featuring feminine-associated elements, such as a layered skirt, with traditionally masculine ones, like pants and a structured jacket. To emphasize that a path less traveled by is sometimes that of most resistance, the designs are made of gauze, medical tape, bandages, and tissues. “All clothing is non-gendered,” Moore states, “It’s us as a society that genders it.” Moore hopes to one day exhibit her talents in costume design on Broadway, but her more current endeavors include taking up the role as Assistant Designer for the University’s Theatre and Dance production of Macbeth. Her costumes would have been on display April 9th through 19th at the Constans Theatre.
WRITER
Sarah Bass
Art History and Visual Art Studies Junior she/her
Collage and Color: Processing Memories of Thailand ARTIST
Sierra Labra Painting Senior she/her
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Through the act of painting, Labra physically engaged with her travel memories, preserving them within the canvas as well as expanding upon them as she transformed them into a new visual reality
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Sierra Labra, Zoe in Paradise Acrylic on canvas, 2019
rom creating art in elementary school to painting large-scale artworks in her personal studio, senior painting major Sierra Labra has developed an artistic skill set that enables her to process her surroundings, experiences, and memories through vibrant colors and collaged fragments. A large canvas, acrylic paints, various paintbrushes, and travel photos equipped Labra with the tools necessary to reflect on her three-week-long trip to Thailand. Her painting entitled Zoe In Paradise presents pieces of her experiences in Thailand through eye-catching colors and geometric shapes that combine the illusion of three-dimensional space with the inherent two-dimensionality of painting; the work visually expresses her process of sorting through the many sights she encountered while abroad. As I entered Labra’s studio, Zoe In Paradise greeted me with its overwhelming size and captivating color as it stretched across one of the studio walls. The fifty-by-100inch painting stimulated my senses as its multitude of lines directed my gaze throughout the work. As I began to engage with the painting, my eyes were first drawn upwards to the realistically rendered lanterns that dominate the top half of the canvas. Painted in various saturated hues, including a golden yellow and an emerald green, the lanterns emerge from the dark background, as they originally did when Labra encountered them hanging over a street through which she walked with friends while in Pai, Thailand. I felt as though their light was illuminating my face below, enticing me to reach out and touch the lantern’s smooth fabric, feeling the warmth radiating off its surface. The lanterns guided my eyes downwards to find circles appearing to twinkle, triangles jutting into the composition, and lines curving into the shape of cups with straws. The triangles, comprised of a
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striped pattern of colorful shapes, recall banners that Sierra saw outside a lively nightclub called “Zoe in Yellow.” Outlined in rough brushstrokes, highlighting the quick-drying nature of acrylic paint, the cups in the bottom-right corner of the piece commemorate a celebratory “cheers” Labra shared with friends as they relished in the social adventure they were experiencing together. The cylindrical lanterns, triangular banners, and linear straws all guided me to the human shadow painted on the bottom half of the canvas. Painted from a photo Labra captured of her own shadow cast onto the colorfully painted wall of the hostel named “Pai Backpackers Paradise,” the unidentifiable figure’s gender-neutrality enables the viewer to see themselves within the painting, as mentioned to me by Labra, as though it were their own shadow being cast onto the canvas. Standing in front of Zoe In Paradise, I became absorbed into the colossal canvas, taking part in Labra’s experiences and seeing Thailand through her artistic lens. As Labra and I spoke, she explained how this painting provided her with a means to process the many wonderful experiences she collected throughout her time in Thailand. By examining her memories and looking through her travel photos, Labra collaged together fragments of Thailand to express visually “what words can fail to describe.” Through the act of painting, Labra physically engaged with her travel memories, preserving them within the canvas as well as expanding upon them as she transformed them into a new visual reality. Her painting has allowed for her continued interaction with Thailand, both while painting the work itself and viewing it after its completion. After our discussion, I was compelled to reflect on my own travels, considering the colors, shapes, and objects that are unique to
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Collage and Color each place and which impacted my interaction with those places, either prompting me to take a photo or to crystalize my experience within a memory. Through this contemplation, I was able to revisit those places in my mind and to think about them in new ways, processing my experiences through a lens inspired by Labra’s. Sierra Labra’s painting Zoe In Paradise presents a visual representation of memory, experience, and process through its vast size, energizing colors, interesting shapes, and varying brushwork. It collages pieces of Labra’s time in Thailand, emphasizing the lasting artistic inspiration that travel grants an artist. With her motivation to explore abroad and curiosity to experiment artistically, Labra leaves viewers anticipating what other colorful compositions she will create as she continues to rip apart and collage together pieces of her life experiences.
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Leaving
Dinner
Entering
No Show
WRITER
Shannon Moriarty
Art History Senior she/her, they/them
Transactional Care ARTIST
Devlin Caldwell Art & Technology MFA he/him
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The transactional nature of this interaction is reminiscent of the capitalist focused interactions that occur in the psychiatric field: recognize a problem, then provide a solution that one can buy
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eginning with the question, “how far can biometric sensors go in relation to surveillance capitalism,” Devlin Caldwell infuses his work with his personal experiences with mental health and psychiatric care to find the ideal compromise between data extraction from psychology and technology. In the creation of Device, Caldwell studied various brainwaves and the sleep-wake cycle to better understand how new meanings can be determined for the biometric data collected by Device, which reads electrical impulses detected by an electrocochleogram (EEG). The EEG sensors and two circuit board are hacked from a toy and repurposed to work in Device to provide authentic biometric data of each user. Caldwell added one more circuit board for Device to process the EEG data and to run his own script that dictates what the printed receipt will state in regards to the data provided by the user. The brainwave data is analyzed by the artist’s code in that final circuit board in order to create a user profile and print a QR code for that specific user. The QR code directs the user to a product on Amazon based on the brainwave profile of the user. Brainwave analysis has been used in the field of psychiatry to attempt to understand mental illnesses through biometric analyses and neurochemical makeup, in the pursuit to find mental illness as the manifestation of a physical or neurochemical difference in neurology. The intentionality of the work is specific to ensure the authenticity of the diagnosis provided by Device and the hygiene of it after many uses. The more believable the piece is as a scientific tool for diagnosis, the more impactful the interaction is between it and the user. Device relies on users’ interaction with it. It works as a large circuit; it begins with the user scanning a QR code
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Transactional Care
to lead them to a brief video explaining how Device works, which is quite intuitive due to the intentionality of Caldwell’s presentation of the piece. The motion of using Device is ceremonial and the space in which one interacts with it enforces a certain respect to the authority of its diagnosis and recommendation. Upon the completion of the user’s brainwave scan, a receipt is printed for the user to read, interact with, and keep. The receipt includes several elements, most notably: the raw brainwave data and a product suggestion provided to the user via a QR code. The interaction each person has with Device begins and ends with scanning a QR code, completing the circuit. The transactional nature of this interaction is reminiscent of the capitalist focused interactions that occur in the psychiatric field: recognize a problem, then provide a solution that one can buy. The circuit closes with the climax of the interaction: the receipt. The receipt includes a greeting that is randomly selected from a pool of predetermined greetings, a randomized number, a diagnosis based on the analysis of one’s brainwaves, a presentation of the wave data, a QR code for a recommended product, and concludes with the familiar phrase: “have a nice day.”
Marina Dietrich, @realDonaldTrump Film photography, 2019
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Marina Dietrich, Untitled Paper made from toilet paper, 2019
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WRITER
Kaila Gumbs Art & Technology Sophomore she/her, they/them
Illuminating the Other ARTIST
Felipe Meres
Visiting Artist he/him
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What I knew of these objects in relation to anthropology faded to the background while the objects displayed morphed into something that no human can create
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an age of technology and global communication, the way we view, interact, and understand art has radically changed. We no longer physically enter art institutions to see paintings and sculptures. Instead, we can search for them using the Internet and even view the digitally rendered images from an art museum’s website. We can download these images, edit, reproduce, and share them with a broader demographic. However, this change in interaction affects the way we study objects, mainly works from prehistoric cultures that no longer exist today. Felipe Meres graduated from the Milton Avery School of Arts at Bard College, New York, with a Master of Fine Arts and is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Anthropology at The New School, New York. Through his work, he questions the relationship between “systems of representation” and the original material. He pushes against the boundary of how we organize information in our current society and invites us to question our behavioral patterns. Meres’ most recent exhibition Global Illumination examines how we attempt to process prehistoric objects in the digital age. Meres used powerful CGI software to create 3D scans of Pre-Columbian artifacts from nine different cultures. These objects are thought to be godlike, anthropomorphic, and connected to sexuality. Through the video, we explore everything about these objects as though they were being viewed in an art institution, the 3D scans mimicking how they would be displayed. As a viewer, Meres’ work is hypnotizing; from beginning to end, one questions what these objects are, where they originate from, and what their purpose was in archaic culture. The varying close-up angles encourage one to believe that there is something new to
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examine in every crevasse. While looking for connections between the designs, shapes, patterns, and colors on every object, one may wonder how these artifacts would have been used in a prehistoric society. There is also an unsettling aspect when viewing this work. Instead of seeing these artifacts as ones manufactured in the past, through Meres’ use of advanced technological reconstructions, viewers begin to ponder these artifacts as non-human, perhaps even alien. The continuous angular rotation of the objects, coupled with the ambient music that seems to never cease, creates an otherworldly effect. What I knew of these objects in relation to anthropology faded to the background while the objects displayed morphed into something that no human can create. Meres chose to question the effectiveness of the scientific method for this exhibition. Although I went through many levels of inquiry, he created a science fiction atmosphere and made me believe that these objects were supernatural. My understanding switched in many different directions, all based on how I learned to investigate artworks in our current society. The examination of these artifacts highlighted essential aspects of the work but also skewed one’s perspective. Meres’ challenge against a primary practice of understanding informs us of how we must take caution when viewing ethnographic objects in an institution. Art museums dictate how these artifacts should be seen, and in his work, Meres acts as a digital art institution. He dictates how the viewer sees each of these nine Pre-Columbian objects, defining how they should be understood through profound views and ambient music.
ARRIVAL The light of consciousness turned on and Maeve found herself lying on the ground in an unfamiliar desolate world. As her vision settled she gazed down upon an amphitheater. The tiers of the amphitheater were hewn from brilliant stone, nested in concentric semi-circles emanating from a humble stage at the center. Maeve realized there was no sky here, no sun, no moon, only light from torches. The torches lined the stairs on both sides and surrounded the front of the stage. There seemed to be nothing else in this demi-plane save for the theater. Though she found herself in this strange world, she wasn’t afraid. She was intrigued. Maeve picked herself up from the ground, brushing the dust from her dress and then she saw it shimmer in the dancing firelight. Something was on the stage. The object called to her, beckoning her to come investigate. She must know. Maeve began descending the stairs slowly, her curiosity welling up inside her. As she drew nearer the stage her pace quickened, and upon reaching the bottom she climbed on the stage. There it was tired but elegant, reminiscent of antiquity, a mirror. Maeve took a few steps and knelt by the mirror and as she did she realized she was suddenly anxious. Anxious to look. Anxious to see. She hadn’t looked in quite some time and certainly not since she awoke here. She laid her hand on the mirror frame, anticipating the inevitable, and as she did the anxiety fell away and she was washed in confidence and bravery. She began to slowly lean over it, first soft curls broke the fault, separating frame and glass. Then pale skin of the forehead, followed by raised eyebrows. She paused, before consenting to return the mirror’s gaze. The mirror’s
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Tanya Pattison, Light Test Red: Sophie eyes fell upon her own as they finally broke the horizon of the frame. Kind. The mirror was kind and accepting. The mirror revealed the rest of it’s face and found Maeve was jubilant. The mirror gave Maeve it’s full attention and she reciprocated, listening. She could tell the mirror was being coy. The mirror was full of wisdom and Maeve could sense that, why then were they being so reserved? They must sense Maeve’s eagerness to know. She lost track of time and sense of self enraptured by The Mirror and their secret. Then she knew. She knew The Mirror’s secret and was grateful they had told her. She knew she must share their secret. She leaned in to kiss The Mirror and, as their lips met, the surface dissipated and Maeve was underwater. She could make out sunlight coming from above her and began swimming towards it. As she swam she felt a force behind her feet, propelling her upward. Running out of breath she broke the surface in a glorious eruption of water. The sun shone on her face as the water became whole again, and she found herself standing among brilliant stone statues in a breathtaking fountain. Zach Shubert
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WRITER
Priya Dames Political Science Sophomore she/her
The Divine Feminine According to Maeve ARTIST
Zach Shubert Printmaking Senior he/him
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Furthermore, Maeve gives Shubert a chance to reach outside of himself and gain new perspectives about the ways that society relates to femininity
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aeve, Zach Shubert’s powerfully feminine alter ego, was born on October 31, 2018 when Shubert arrived at school dressed as his wife for Halloween. As he walked around campus in his decidedly “very, very rough drag,” Shubert noticed the difference in the way his peers treated him. People would comment more on his appearance, and the language his friends used to speak to him contrasted sharply with what he was used to. He felt there was an opportunity for him to explore. So, Shubert set up a camera, took pictures as Maeve, and posted them on his personal Instagram. When his friends commented that Maeve was taking on a life of her own, he made a separate Instagram account for her and started to develop her personality further. He also set out to create his 17-piece art series, titled “transcendent,” that would introduce Maeve to the public. The collection contains one painting and 16 prints of himself as Maeve. To Shubert, she represents all of the best qualities of femininity: warmth, nurturing, patience. She represents the feminine side of himself and gives him a chance to examine his identity in his work, something his professors have been urging him to start doing. Furthermore, Maeve gives Shubert a chance to reach outside of himself and gain new perspectives about the ways that society relates to femininity. Shubert used a technique called monotyping to crePrevious page: ate the painterly prints in “transcendent.” He learned the Zach Shubert, Transcendent no. 6 method from Santa Fe College printmaking professor Matthew Newell. Shubert worked on the collection primarily Monotype (etching after school hours, spending up to six hours deep into the ink on paper), 2019 night working on his prints when the printmaking studio was empty. On a typical evening, Shubert would print a
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The Divine Feminine According to Maeve From top to bottom:
Zach Shubert, Transcendent no. 15, Transcendent no. 14 Monotype (etching ink on paper), 2019
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Zach Shubert, Transcendent no. 5, Transcendent no. 3 Monotype (etching ink on paper), 2019
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halftone photo of Maeve that has been flipped horizontally. He would then lay a sheet of plexiglass on top and paint solvent-thinned ink on the glass, tracing the lines of the printed photograph underneath. Then, he’d take the ink-covered plexiglass to the printer and feed it through along with a piece of paper, allowing the ink to imprint on the paper and create an image. The centerpiece of the show is the fuschia-colored painting located in the center of the gallery space. Shubert used pigment made from crushed pastels and charcoal sticks mixed with matte media to create the paint he used to create the portrait of Maeve. He made the painting for an experimental drawing class in the spring of 2019 when he wanted to experiment more with mediums outside of printmaking. The painting ultimately inspired his decision to try montoypying, which was closer to painting than traditional printmaking techniques. Shubert looks forward to developing Maeve’s backstory and continuing to explore the boundaries of what femininity means.
Hilman Chan, Goodbye! Relief on linoleum block, printed on paper, 2018
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Hilman Chan, Untitled Mixed media (acrylic paint, acrylic ground, glass bead gel), 2019
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WRITER
Anna Martell Art History Senior she/her
Ruins
ARTIST
Melissa Nunez Creative Photography MFA she/her
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Despite the static nature of an image, Nunez has found an ingenious way to further the theme of degradation present in her work by allowing the photos to transform just like the buildings themselves continue to do
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ut of the ruins of industrialization, Melissa Nunez finds beauty through photography. Her work focuses on capturing the decrepit faรงades of abandoned buildings on black and white film. These buildings are hidden away throughout the United States, often inconspicuously tucked away in suburban areas and small towns. Many of her subjects are once prosperous malls, factories, and businesses. The decline of these buildings marked the end of an era of booming economy, serving as relics of the past. In order to find these lost shells of architecture, Nunez scours her area for inspiration and has friends and family tip her off to new locations, even travelling to Ohio for her most recent photographic excursion. The innovation of her photos goes beyond the meticulously arranged compositions and ambitious location scouting, extending to her method of printing the photos. The Mordanรงage process, literally translating to death etching, is a darkroom process discovered by Nunez after flipping through a book of old photographic techniques. Initially, the photo is printed normally in the darkroom. To create the Mordanรงage effect, the photo is put into a solution of acetic acid, 30% hydrogen peroxide, and copper chloride, allowing the chemicals to bleach the print. The solution eats away at the darkest parts of the image, creating a swirled abstracted effect. The photo is washed and redeveloped, which allows the disintegrated parts of the photo to partially reappear. The photo can then be put into a fixer bath to stop the oxidation or allowed to further develop. The effect of the Mordanรงage process changes every time, giving the image a painted and uniquely imperfect quality. At face value, the process allows Nunez to add texture and dimension to her work. Her true innovation
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Ruins Melissa Nunez, The Perpetual Present Mordancage photograph, 2020
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is realized once one analyzes the process in relation to the content of her work. When unfixed, the Mordançage method is an active process in which the image continues to change and develop even after drying. Despite the static nature of an image, Nunez has found an ingenious way to further the theme of degradation present in her work by allowing the photos to transform just like the buildings themselves continue to do. As famously said by Susan Sontag in On Photography “photographs are a way of imprisoning reality.” In Nunez’s work, she has both imprised the reality of the degrading urban landscape and its actual degradation through the Mordançage process. In her newest series The Perpetual Present her mastery of the Mordançage process is evident. In the photos, the walls of the buildings lift and swirl like sheets, creating a draped effect over the façades. In Richman, the distorted film of the print wraps around the whole building, shadows dominating the picture plain. The soft greys of the cloudy sky contrast the dark tangled texture of the building, creating a duality between natural and artificial through this contrast. As a whole, the series takes on a ghostly appearance. Nunez cites one of her inspirations as Bernard Stigler’s acclaimed work The Neganthropocene, a pragmatic meditation on living amidst a climate disaster and worsening condition of the Anthropocene. Much like Stigler’s optimistic approach to disaster, Nunez transforms the abject objects of society we’re forced to see into beautiful art.
WRITER
Maria Kuran Art History Senior she/her
Through a Photographic Lens: Uncovering Florida’s Manufactured Landscapes
ARTIST
Vahid Valikhani
Creative Photography MFA he/him
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whether it is an agricultural field or a chaotic construction site, the photographer exposes the subtle beauty in each of his compositions, all while simultaneously exploring this blurred line of artificial and natural
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erhaps almost everyone reading this can relate to the following scenario: driving down I-75 for hours at a time, anxiously wanting to reach your final destination, pouring through various podcasts or music playlists in an attempt to remain awake and focused on the road ahead. After a while, the surrounding scenes seem to blur together into a singular image, one that you may mindlessly zoom past with barely the slightest glance out your window, often forgetting to just stop and stare. It all just looks the same at some point, does it not? Well, those were my sentiments exactly, at least up until the moment I met Vahid Valikhani, a second-year MFA student in the Creative Photography department. Valikhani’s body of work explores the manufactured landscape; the artist finds himself in awe of the human hand on the landscape around it and the relationship’s inherent connection to environmental issues at large. He attributes his knowledge of the subject matter to the scholar Liz Wells, who defines the notion of manufactured landscapes as referring to “the presence of legacies of industrialization,” that the landscape is “an aesthetic construct” through which humans shape their environment. Some examples include in-process agricultural areas, construction sites, power plants, leisure developments, or the remains of abandoned projects. Deborah Bright, yet another influence on Valikhani, claims that “whatever its aesthetic merits, every representation of the landscape is also a record of the human values and actions imposed over the land.” Valikhani first began seeking out manufactured landscapes in Isfahan, Iran, where the artist was born and raised. He specifically went on adventures late at night, sometimes driving for hours on end in search of a sub-
Through a Photographic Lens
Vahid Valikhani, Untitled Digital photograph, 2019
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ject matter. Oftentimes, he told me that he would return empty-handed, but he considered even his failed journeys as positive contributions to his overall artistic production. Isfahan is a beautiful city with an array of historical landmarks, and Valikhani would describe it to me fondly, the nostalgia always ever-present in his voice. If one were to look up Isfahan, one would be met with stunning images of the city, but Valikhani chose to document its manufactured landscapes instead, as a political critique of its consumption for the sake of advancing industrialization. His images of the different sites he encountered are a startling contrast to the impeccable, breathtaking images found online. When Valikhani moved to Gainesville in 2018, however, everything changed: he was met with a landscape completely different from that of his home country. Gone were the mountains at every corner, for they were replaced by stretches of Floridian swamps and flat planes. Gone were the grandiose, historical landscapes at every corner, with the miniscule, simple town of Gainesville, FL, taking their place. In a way, the artist had to somehow morph his practice to fit Florida’s ecology, all while still maintaining his vision of capturing the manufactured landscape. As a result, rather than taking a politically critical approach as the one he had in Iran, Valikhani shifted his focus onto the linear and plane relations in his images of the landscape. More specifically, he is fascinated by the line between natural and artificial, especially in a state as green as Florida. On the one hand, nature is rampant across the state, but Valikhani chooses to point out the human-made in his images, thereby blurring this preexisting line and creating a different perception of Florida’s landscape than the one viewers may have had before.
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My first trip with Valikhani was a few months ago – he requested that we drive to Jacksonville to take some photographs. As I mentioned at the very beginning, and as someone who had taken the I-75 countless times before, typical questions concerning the drive flooded my mind: what should I do to stay awake and alert on the road? What music should I put together to get us through the almost-two-hour drive? What on earth was there in Jacksonville that he had to go take photographs there? Little did I know, Jacksonville would be the last item on our agenda. Once I picked Valikhani up, early one Saturday morning in November, he showed me his phone, specifically Google Maps, and how he had saved a variety of coordinates of landscapes that he thought would be interesting for him to document, one of which was near Jacksonville. I was astounded at how much time he spends going through the map, which in my mind always seemed like an indecipherable sea of green, aside from the blue line showing me where I needed to go every once in a while. To my surprise, the location near Jacksonville that he had saved on his phone would not be the only stop we made. There were at least three different occasions during our drive down I-75 that Valikhani would abruptly request to pull over, having seen a landscape that piqued his interest. We spent anywhere between ten and thirty minutes at each stop, and I was so intrigued by his process.
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He took several photographs every time, wanting to capture the linear intersections of the compositions. At each stop, he would describe what he saw; how a stop sign’s verticality coincided with those of the trees in the backdrop, how circles of mud stood out against the horizontal line of a bridge passing through both sides of the frame, how a curved pathway towards the sunset ahead merged with a cloud of fog off to the side of the landscape. All of a sudden, this singular image I had pegged Florida’s landscape to be completely vanished from my mind. These are landscapes most of us encounter on a daily basis, yet we often find them so insignificant that they are undeserving of a second glance. The beauty of Valikhani’s photography is that he subverts this narrative; whether it is an agricultural field or a chaotic construction site, the photographer exposes the subtle beauty in each of his compositions, all while simultaneously exploring this blurred line of artificial and natural. It is fascinating to watch. We never made it to Jacksonville – we actually turned around and made our way back to Gainesville immediately after passing the very first “Welcome to Jacksonville” sign. However, the destination no longer mattered to me at that point, especially not after what I had watched him capture on the way there. I can now safely say that, any time I am driving down I-75, I try to give myself moments to look out my window at the view. Unsurprisingly, none of it actually looks the same.
From top to bottom:
Michael Ferret, Retrospective and Clove Hitch Wood sculpture, 2019
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Sarah Bass, Shell-Cage Clay with glaze and barnacles, 2018
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WRITER
Sarah Nix Art History Freshman she/her
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ARTIST
Holly Cormack Art History Senior she/her
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Describing herself as a perfectionist, Cormack says working with clay and with this marbling technique have forced her to embrace the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of her process
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aking the appearance of what some say recalls agateware or nerikomi, Holly Cormack uses two clay bodies mixed together to create a unique marbling effect in her pieces. However, Cormack wishes to make her art more accessible than agateware which, as she puts it, has higher prices because of its classification. Because agateware is a traditional technique which requires different skills and is visually striking, it is easier to upcharge. Although, as of yet, Cormack has been unwilling to part with any of her work, she wants to set prices that a wider audience can afford once she does decide to sell them, in a move to make ceramics more accessible. As a college student, the artist does not have excess money and wants to offer quality work people like her can afford. It is her goal to make it possible for everyone to own artwork in their home, even if their budget is limited. Though many professors and fellow artists have identified similar qualities in Cormack’s art with agateware, she was unaware of such a connection initially, citing more influence from her peers in studio rather than from historically english or japanese ceramic marbling techniques. Cormack’s peers have a tremendous impact on her work: she says some of her best ideas have come in part from conversations with or suggestions from them. Reflecting on how she began making her art in this style, Cormack remembers brainstorming with her teacher and peers at the time on how to work with different clay bodies in her pieces. Once given the idea to mix two bodies of clay together, Cormack launched into the beginning of a new style of artistic production: a blend of clay bodies to create a dynamic pattern of red and white throughout her work.
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When it comes to creating a new piece, Cormack can go in with an idea of what she is attempting to create, but often the clay will have a mind of its own. This is especially the case if the clay is not centered, which makes it much more difficult to control the piece and could cause it to fly off the wheel. However, before centering her piece, the artist will wedge her two clay bodies together and remove as much air as possible. Once the process of throwing begins, there is also the possibility of a different shape than originally designed forming. This depends on the malleability of the clay, as too-soft clay would collapse and too-hard clay may crack. After shaping the clay, Cormack waits for the piece to dry then begins trimming. After trimming the piece, the next step is to shave off the top layer when the piece is bone dry, which is done to reveal the marbling patterns more clearly. Even the marbling patterns Cormack creates allow for little control over the appearance of the final project; while she may have some control over the marbling at the very end, upon trimming the piece to reveal the marbling, the patterns created are largely and beautifully random. Describing herself as a perfectionist, Cormack says working with clay and with this marbling technique have forced her to embrace the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of her process. Recently, the artist has begun to incorporate a third clay body into her work. Instead of using strictly white and red, she will add a combination of the two colors, created from the excess clay of previous works. This allows her to repurpose old clay instead of letting it go to waste. Within the past semester, Cormack has also been experimenting with creating texture in her works, carving away at her pieces to form ridges and designs that present the
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marbling in a more irregular and dynamic way, thereby increasing the visual aesthetic of her pieces. The artist found her affinity for ceramics by accident. She had taken art classes before and signed up for a wheel throwing course to encourage herself to complete her last course at her previous institution, causing her to instantly fall in love with it. Coming to the University of Florida, Cormack began to pursue her ceramics certificate along with her degree in art history. As for the future, Cormack wishes to work in an art museum, specifically on the side of community outreach. She feels her studies in art history and ceramics, as well as her volunteering at the Harn Museum of Art, have prepared her for this path. Especially with ceramics and wheel throwing, the ceramics certificate has given her insight into, and made her appreciate, the artistic processes in creating pieces that end up in a museum or gallery setting.
Margaret Brauer, Relics Ceramics/installation, 2019
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MEANDERING GRATITUDE IN FIVE-ISH ACTS This is a kiss to the airplane you mistook for a star. Drunk on punch, head on your shoulder, I was in a spinning planetarium. Clutching your waist on the boardwalk as mosquitoes bedazzled bare arms. This is a kiss to your Goodwill grandma sweater, the one I buried my head in when I told you (mascara on cheeks like a Hollywood mess) that I wanted to start going to movies alone but didn’t know if I’d be bored without your thumb stroking my stretch marks. (This is a kiss to the oil that churns in my stomach sometimes.) This is a kiss to my glitter girls, the way we compose manifestos, read tipsy tarot, imagine all the movies we’ll make someday in Brooklyn. What’s this card mean? It means DUMP HIM! This is a kiss to your Venus in Virgo. This is a kiss to first dates (harvesting backstories, hardly touching), to all the stubbly shins that rubbed against mine under restaurant tables.
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This is a kiss to parking lot kisses. No one’s looking, right? This is a kiss to the siren that passed mid-monologue, to watching friends pretend to kill, to learning to chameleonize, to the girls that hibernate in my skin, paper sisters, borrowing tongue and eyebrows, to strangers paying to watch me cry. This is a kiss to desiring lemonade, to golden heartache hours, to seasons biking past. EPIPHANY NO. 2 Faith means nothing until you’re without it-Sahara-barefoot, sans cardigan in an air-conditioned cineplex. A Russian doll with no girls inside Googling how do I enjoy my coffee when the ice caps are puddling around our ankles? I kinda mourn: Sundays hunched in prayer, swallowing half-melted sermons from a popsicle stick.
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Now, Fatherless, orphaned by the kudzu of skepticism, I crave the stupor of Belief. At least I’d have something (tonight I christened myself with olive oil in the communal kitchen) to do on Sundays. GENERATION GLASS sucking up the sky through the laptop’s reflection of the window, barricading myself from cumulonimbi. the glass is not bulletproof, the glass is the bullet. am i an animal in a zoo? i perform daily life for some hypothetical hacker watching me through the webcam. Kara Gordon
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WRITER
Jordan Kriseman Art History Senior she/her
Discovering Familiarity ARTIST
Dani Vargas
Ceramics Senior they/them
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Herein lies the premise of Vargas’ artist objective with this series: to create a world for the pieces to inhabit within our own world
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ow much do we actually know about the worlds that live within our oceans? The oceans cover 70% of Earth’s surface, yet researchers estimate that humans have yet to discover 80% of the animals, plants, and geographies of the ocean. These incredible statistics are part of Dani Vargas’ jumping off point for their most recent series of work. The fourth-year ceramics major began their multi-faceted investigation last semester and continues to work on them currently. Entitled “Between Realms,” the series of various-sized clay sculptures are brightly colored and anthropomorphic – one might mistake them for a new species of sea creatures rather than works of art. In “Between Realms,” Vargas focuses on ambiguity of forms, curiosity of the viewer, and humanity’s inherent desire to explore the unknown. Regardless of one’s knowledge of marine biology, a viewer is able to explore and discover the works in this series. The color immediately captures the viewer’s attention – the pieces are bright and neon, with textures ranging from smooth, to bumpy, to spikey. This is intentional, as Vargas is interested in how the visual aesthetic of the works can seduce a viewer. Essential to this intrigue is the glowing quality to the works; they have used special black light paint so that when a black light is shown on the works, they emit a wondrous neon glow. Not only do the works appear anthropomorphic in form, they mimic the bioluminescence of some plants and animals found in the furthest depths of the ocean. They are both similar to and wildly different from anything we are used to seeing. Herein lies the premise of Vargas’ artist objective with this series: to create a world for the pieces to inhabit within our own world. The pieces exist on their own as individuals and function together cohesively. The exhibition envi-
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Discovering Familiarity Dani Vargas, Between Realms
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ronment is therefore critical, as how Vargas installs them can drastically change how the viewer interacts with the pieces. The colors of the pieces can be stronger or muted, depending on the color of the wall, and the placement of the black light in the installation space also affects their colors. Moreover, sometimes Vargas has exhibited the works on both stands and the walls, which has presented challenges during the installation process. The fact that they are able to create infinite types of environments though means that there is always a new way for the viewer to experience the works. In the future, Vargas plans to continue experimenting with both form and installation. Currently, most of the pieces are relatively small, mimicking small ocean creatures one may find. However, they are interested in the idea that just as there may be alien forms in the ocean yet to be discovered by humans, so can their works be aliens. They therefore want to sculpt larger pieces of similar form, as well as to create some that would allow light to filter out from within, through small holes. The environment of the installation remains a point of investigation, as well, in terms of how best to create an autonomous world for the works within our own human world. “Between Realms� is an engaging, thought-provoking series that begs of the viewer to spend extended time with the works included. They appear as objects both alien to a human viewer, yet strangely familiar and prompt the viewer to explore their space as a scientist might explore an unknown sea. With only 20% of the oceans explored, the possibility that creatures that resemble these ceramic sculptures actually exist is high, and Vargas provides the opportunity for the viewer to be the first to discover them.
Maddie Haggbloom, Hand Me Down Watercolor, gouache, and ink on watercolor paper, 2019
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From top to bottom: Maddie
Haggbloom, Untitled (Observation), and Untitled (Sunset)
Acrylic on canvas, and acrylic on mixed media paper, 2019
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WRITER
Samuel Hitt Art History Alumni he/him
Bridging Two Peninsulas ARTIST
Eunice Park
Art Education Senior she/her
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While her artwork spans a number of styles and materials, the topics she explores are fairly consistent
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Eunice Park, Worn, 2019
unice Park is an Art Education student working in a wide variety of mediums. While her artwork spans a number of styles and materials, the topics she explores are fairly consistent. Since late in her high school career, she has used her art to examine her Korean heritage, and through her practice, express and develop her sense of self. Park’s most recent series is an extremely personal exploration of her Korean-American background done in a medium that physically represents her connection to her family and past. The series is titled Unhidden and is done entirely in sewn and embroidered fabric, a medium and material that evokes loving memories of her parents and grandparents. Born in Seattle and raised in Gainesville, Park often felt somewhat torn between her Korean background and her American environment. Growing up, she moved between two distinct social groups: the Gainesville Korean community centered around her family’s church, and the wider Gainesville community she met at school. In our interview she discussed feeling somewhat estranged from both groups: feeling somehow less Korean than friends who had grown up in the peninsula, yet also feeling distinct from her mostly white classmates. As mentioned, she began exploring some of this uncertain territory in her high school art classes. At the time her work revolved around realistic drawings of juxtaposed Korean and American contexts and symbols, showing through these combinations the tension and mingling of two different cultures. The present series began in the fall of 2019 when Park found a ceramic tile which had been decorated by a child to say “I [heart] you.” The grid implied by the square tile and the childlike feelings of familial warmth contained in the message inspired Park to experiment with a quilt-like grid of
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From top to bottom: Eunice
Park, Kimbap and Bibimbap, 2019
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fabric squares. This was the first time Eunice had ever incorporated sewing or fabric-work into her artistic practice, previously keeping these skills as a simple practical hobby. The act of sewing itself has deep associations with Park’s family; as a young child, her mother handmade clothes for her and her siblings, and Park’s grandmother took up sewing to keep busy in her old age. While Park experimented with a number of other fabric representations of her heritage, she returned to a quilt-like form for the first main piece in the series. Titled Sarang, the Korean word for love, the piece is a quilt-like tapestry of fabric scraps. Embroidered on one panel of cloth is the phrase: “are you hungry.” Eunice was inspired by the parenting styles she sees in Asian households like hers: a relative lack of verbal expressions of love, instead focusing mostly on physical needs. The piece thus represents this from two angles, as the cloth offers warmth and shelter while the embroidery offers nourishment. With its irregular structure, Park’s piece also conveys the imperfect, sometimes, patchwork nature of family as well. The next step in the series was the depiction of several symbols of Korean culture through embroidery and applique. Using the iconic food and the national flower of Korea: mugunghwa – best known in English as a Korean Rose – Park explores her personal relationship to these symbols. Growing up, her Korean food was something she was embarrassed of. She spoke of a ‘lunchbox moment’ in which a child realizes that their food is different from their classmates, and thus they are somehow different. Bibimbap and Kimbap, the names of two of Park’s favorite dishes, are thus two of the many steps she has taken away from that sense of shame, steps towards confidence and pride.
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Bridging Two Peninsulas From top to bottom:
Eunice Park, Mugunghwa and Worn (detail), 2019
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Eunice Park, Sarang, 2019
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The final piece of the series is a hand sewn Hanbok, a traditional Korean garment, still sometimes worn in formal settings such as weddings and New Year celebrations. The dress she has constructed though is primarily cut of denim, denim that was taken from her parents’ old blue jeans. This piece is thus something of a synthesis of the past two steps in the series, combining the cultural symbols of Korea with Park’s own familial artifacts and memories. Though technically wearable, Park views it as essentially too precious to be actually used, loaded with too much emotional significance to be a practical piece of clothing. Growing up as a shy child, these avenues of personal expression and exploration are extremely important to Park. Art for her was a means of self-discovery, a way to develop her identity in a way she was comfortable with. Art was a means of self-expression that allowed her to avoid her discomfort with directly speaking out. This is her main motivation in her drive to become an art educator. She seeks to extend this opportunity to a new generation of kids who may have trouble expressing themselves in their home environment. She wants to provide a classroom where students’ diversity of identities is embraced and no one is ashamed of who they are or where they come from, a place where young kids can readily discover who they are and who they want to be.
Index artists, in order of appearance
John ‘Feeshy’ Walker and Mila Gajić
Rebecca Matson
page 8 johnfeeshy.com, milagajic.com, and broadenyoursenseofnormal.com
Salvatore Franco
page 48 rebeccamastson.com and @theartofbecca
Hilman Chan page 52 @artofhilman
page 16
Dayhelyn Frank
Micah Lomel
pages 22, 38–39
Lecsy Gonzalez page 23
Drew page 24 drewsceramics.com and @drewsceramics
Brianna Beckford
page 56 micahlainelomel.com
Marina Sachs pages 60–61
Ellee Ruder page 62
April Moore page 68 @madebyaprilelizabeth
page 30
Aryana Moghadasi
Sierra Labra
page 32
Selina Wagner
page 74
Devlin Caldwell
page 40
Alicia Lores page 46–47
page 82 devlincaldwell.com
Marina Dietrich pages 86–87
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Felipe Meres
Holly Cormack
page 88 felipemeres.com
Zach Shubert pages 92, 94 zachshubert.art and @zachshubert.art
Tanya Pattison page 93
page 118 @i_am_joan_of_art
Margaret Brauer page 124
Kara Gordon page 125
Dani Vargas page 128 @danivargasart
Hilman Chan pages 100–101
Melissa NuĂąez page 102 melnunez.com and @melnunezphoto
Maddie Haggbloom pages 134–135
Eunice Park page 136 @epark.studio
Vahid Valikhani page 108 vahidvalikhani.com
Michael Ferret page 116
Sarah Bass page 117
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writers, in order of appearance
Hope Scheff
Kaila Gumbs
page 8
Lexi Peterson
page 88
Priya Dames
page 16
Shannon Moriarty
page 94
Anna Martell
pages 24, 82
Carolyn Lightsey
page 102
Maria Kuran
page 32
Macarena Deij Prado
page 108
Sarah Nix
page 40
Olivia Masih
page 118
Jordan Kriseman
page 48
Mark Hodge
page 128
Samuel Hitt
page 52
page 136
Skyler Dunbar page 56
Leah Harell page 62
Maddie Haggbloom page 68
Sarah Bass page 74
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Acknowledgements Our deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to the publication in any capacity, whether they submitted their own artwork and writing or assisted our editorial and design team. Thank you to our incredible professors and graduate students for inspiring us with their work and mentorship. Finally, we would like to thank the University of Florida’s Student Government for funding this publication; we greatly appreciate the support and contribution.
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Production editorial team
Maria Kuran Shannon Moriarty Lexi Peterson Jordan Kriseman Hope Scheff Anna Martell design
Maria Blokhina
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dinner + no show
No Show