Heterotropias

I can't believe it has been five days since I last posted.  As summer approaches, things seem to get a little busier.  I have managed to get a few vegetables planted in the garden boxes and some flowers in the front planter.

Last time, I wrote about the BFA exhibition at Boise State University.   While we were there, we also viewed Heterotropias: Institutional Structures and Subjectives by Don Winiecki which is up in the Student Union Building gallery through June 4.  According to the artist's statement, Heterotropic space is defined as those which can be categorized as outside, between or overlapping other spaces and places.

Here is the description of the exhibition:
"Based on observations as a sociologist, Boise State University Instructional and Performance Technology Professor Don Winiecki visually investigates the effects and affects of institutional structures on the production of subjectivity.  Through the use of conventional realism and academic formality as well as evocative non-representational forms, Winiecki's paint and drawing installation invites viewers to interact with and encounter multiple ways of seeing, perceiving, and potentially responding to those structures."

As we entered the space, we saw two sided artworks hanging from the ceiling with the labels casually placed on the floor. At first I was uncomfortable with the arrangement and having to carefully walk through the space without touching/bumping into any of the artwork as we have been conditioned to do.

But the more time I spent within the arrangement, being part of it so to speak, I thought it made the artwork less pretentious than looking at it on a wall.  Since they were two sided, you had to be physically engaged by walking around to the other side.  One piece was gently turning from some unfelt air current as I had to chase it around to see the other side.  Hanging from one point must have been intentional as hanging from two points would have prevented the turning.

Watchful Eye by Don Winiecki

National Identity Card by Don Winiecki

National Identity Card shows a person presenting what could be a credit card to another person. What looks like a driver's license is also visible in the wallet.  There are all kinds of implications and associations between this visual and the title of the piece.

I especially like the shapes in this one and the perspective from above.  It is entitled Inside the Grid (Pedestrian Mall).  I think there are several pieces where humans are being observed from above.  Is it a study of the patterns of human behavior or just an interesting point of view?

The grid on top seems to beg an analysis of the forms.  How far apart are they?  How are they grouped together?  I think this piece would read very differently without the grid.  The grid gives it structure and implies something.

This is a very interesting exhibit and probably probes deeper thoughts than my brain can handle.  It is worth a look.

Varia: BFA Exhibition - Part 2

The other part of the Boise State University Varia: BFA Exhibition was held in the Hemingway Center on campus.  This venue seems a little more intimate as it is a little darker and free standing walls create different, smaller spaces.

The first two photos show some cyanotype pieces created by Heather Wade.  The first is made on a large piece of cloth. The other is on a small piece on paper.  Heather happened to be there taking pictures and Mary and I discussed her work with her.

Mary works with cyanotype and other alt-processes so Heather was happy to meet someone working in the same medium.

I was attracted to the simplicity, repetition and subject matter of this artwork by Tanith Brown.  The smaller frame has burnt matches attached to the paper.  In the larger frame, the artist has drawn the matches with pencil.

Here is a close up view of the drawing.

I approached this ceramic piece by Elyse Hestead-Murphy from the backside and didn't realize there was a figure until I walked around to the front.  It is made of separate pieces that appeared to be stacked and adhered together.

It seemed like the majority of the artwork in the Liberal Arts building was created by guys, whereas the majority (if not all) of artwork in the Hemingway Center was created by girls.  I don't think this separation was made on purpose, but it's an interesting observation.

Overall, I found the exhibition very interesting.

Varia: BFA Exhibition - Part 1

One of the people in our monotype workshop was a BSU student, Karl LeClair.  He told us he had some of his artwork in the Boise State University's BFA Exhibition entitled Varia.  Mary Donato and I said we would go see it.  The last day of the exhibit was last Thursday and that is when we went.

BSU has several gallery spaces spread around campus.  Varia was in two different areas, the gallery in the Liberal Arts building and in the Hemingway Center.  We started in the Liberal Arts gallery.

Overview of the Liberal Arts building gallery.

Below is Karl's piece.  We recognized it right away because 1) it is facing the entry to the gallery and 2) he used a similar motif for his prints in the workshop.  These are all prints and the plates he used to print them are on the floor.

Here is a close up view of some of the prints which were held together by magnets.

Each artist had a statement about their work which was in a binder by the entrance to the gallery. It was very interesting to read the statements.

For example, this blurry picture is of photographs by Stephanie North, entitle As One.  She is exploring the perception of college athletes.  Each photo has a student athlete dressed in their sport's attire and also a photo of them dressed in their street clothes, illustrating the fact that their sport or people's perception of a student athlete is not the only thing that defines the person.

These next two pieces are by Adam Atkinson.  I was surprised to see work using fabric and stitches although I do believe textile/fabric/fiber art is becoming more widely accepted as a fine art (as opposed to fine craft) in the general art world.

I was particularly interested in these because it was a male artist that created them.  The majority of artists working in textile/fabric/fiber tend to be female.  And Atkinson talks about the tradition of hand crafts done by women in his statement and is exploring gender roles in these pieces.

This first piece, Alternate Identity, is reminiscent of Nick Cave's full sized bears covered with found sweaters in the Boise Art Museum's recent exhibition, Meet Me at the Center of the Earth. Perhaps Atkinson was influenced by that.

In this artwork, Looking, Atkinson created lines using hand stitches on canvas.

Toward the middle of the gallery, there was some smaller sculptural work by Everett Hoffman. This one is entitled Our Love of Spoons.  These are very well done with the carving and execution.  Hoffman has taken an everyday object we can all relate to and has put it on a pedestal, literally.

Most of the artwork in this gallery seems to explore perceptions of identity, our roles in society and relationships, all natural subjects for young adults.

In the next post, part 2 of Varia.