A look into Life: Bay Area Exhibit

   "Architecture of Life": Berekley Art Museum, 2016


The Berkely Art Museum has a new exhibit I veiwed on Friday, April 22. The exhibit is the "Architecture of Life" which is open from January 31st through May 29th. The museum is located just up the hill with a modern L.E.D. sign letting visitors know the neew museum is there. When you first walk in the amount of open space welcomes you. The museum gives a few pathways in which to start exploring the museum.


Diller Scofidio & Renfro: Hand Holding A Model of BAMPFA, 2012


The exhibit was a show for the new museum. The musems open space leads one into an environment of exploration where there is much open room to walk around the museum and the space was filled with light. The light seemed to illumiate all of the work that was there to view. "Architecture of Life" gives a view into art that examines the way we see the world through multiple themes and conversations created by the art.


Fig. 1: Stephen Kaltenbach. Portrait of My Father, 1972-79


Fig. 1.5: Heather standing in front of Portrait of My Father


There was a variety of works displayed in the large museum from video pieces, scuplture, and paintings etc. The main part of the gallery, on the floor we enter had paintings and mixed media pieces on the wall spaced out giving viewers enough space to view and interact with the work. The first piece to capture my attention was a piece titled "Portrait of My Father," a painting of the artists father experiecing the effects of Alzheimers (Fig. 1, Fig. 1.5) This piece was set out by itself located at the end section of a wall. This painting draws me in first because of the large size of the painting that seems to take up the whole wall. With a step closer I could see all the detail of the painting. What I noticed where these transparent colored nodes that covered the canvas which seemed to me to symbolize DNA with a connection to life and death.


Fig. 2: Hyun- Sook Song. 4 Brushstrokes over Figure, 2012


Fig. 3: Hyun- Sook Song. 21 Brushstrokes, 2007


Fig. 3.5: Hyun- Sook Song .2 Brushstrokes, 2012


John Viewing the Hyun- Sook Song series


This floor was filled with a few installations, video, and 3D animation; but what kept my attention for some reason were the paintings. The paintings all seemed to have their own themes and many of them didn't relate although there were mounted on the same wall. There was once exception. On the wall right before the end of this main area, there was a series of brushstrokes by the artist Hyun- Sook Song. Two of the paintings were of a dark nature (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). The third painting was the opposite, one of daylight. (Fig. 3.5) The three paintings is a discovery of the characteristics of brush strokes on canvas seamlessly connected with symbolizing the background of the artist as a Korean native. I think the series is an interesting exploration in using the texture of the brush strokes to take the viewer into a deeper look and meaning of the painting. These paintings made me think about history, culture, and tradition and the artist brings all these values together with a brush stroke. The symbolism I see in the approach is how a paint brush can be used as a tool for narrative. The conscious choice to place these images before the exit of this gallery space draws the viewer in once more just as it drew in another viewer John (Fig. 4). We both had the same actions as beginning to exhit this space, but stopped to gaze at this series for quite awhile analyzing its content.


Fig. 5: Tomas Saraceno. Solitary, semi social mapping of ESO-510
613 connected with intergalactic dust by one Nephila calvipes- one
week- and three Cytophora citricola- three weeks 2015


     Fig. 5.5: John Security for Saraceno's Sculptures


              Fig. 6: Tomas Saraceno. Solitary, 2015



             Fig. 7: Tomas Saraceno. Solitary, 2015


            Fig. 8: Tomas Saraceno. Solitary, 2015


Fig. 9 : Andy and Allison viewing Saraceno's spider sculpture


 Andy and Allison viewing Saraceno's spider sculpture


I think overall what worked for the museum was its overall open space. Although the space was very open, the setup of the museum allowed many passageways to view the art displayed around the museum. It also allowed ways to wrap back into itself as a constant pathway as I found myself coming back into certain spaces from other sides causing me to take a second view and notice something I didn't notice before. A good example of this was the installation by Tomas Saraceno. (Fig. 5, Fig. 5.5) This installation was located in a dark area down a small hallway, you enter into this space that the only source of light is the light illuminating the spider sculptures. (Fig. 6, Fig. 7) The room is very dark which draws in the detail of each spider web. Each one of the four in the series is different. The installation speaks to the natural designs of art that we overlook in nature. I find the choice to place these sculptures in a dark room where the light only shows on the sculptures allows a look where we focus just on the dynamic pattern of line that we see in each spider web. (Fig. 8, Fig. 9) I'm not sure which one, but it's interesting to know that some of the sculptures in this series, the result, was obtained by rotating the box over time. 


Fig 10: Noriko Ambe. A piece of Flat Globe Vol. 12, 2010


Fig 10.5: Noriko Ambe. A piece of Flat Globe Vol. 22, 2010

 
        Fig. 11: Ruth Asawa.. Untitled, 1962

The only thing that I think took away from the overall view of the museum was the lower floor. The upper floor seemed more interesting to me which makes since seeing that is the floor that we enter when we go into the museum. The lower floor had very few interesting pieces of art. I felf that the space was a little bit more dim and it didn't feel as open as the upper part of the museum which allowed for a more open viewing experience for the works. The space you enter into the bottom had much empty space and only had a couple of 3D works that made me want to stop and analyze such as the 3D prints (Fig. 10, Fig 10.5) and the brass wire sculptures (Fig.11). I feel that this space wasn't as immersive as the upper floor. I feel like more of the video pieces would have helped to keep the interest of the viewer while spending time on the lower level.

According to the introduction placed on the wall of the main part of the exhibit, "Architecture of Life is a poetic excursion. It presents revelatory images and objects that stimulate reflection on our own experiences of life through the lenses of structure, location, and imagination." I feel that this exhibition was well put together. The museum had many works to offer the viewer that created a conversation on life and how we see things that we may come across along that journey. The museum brought together a great mix of artist that opened up a range of thought that allows us to see things differently.

Containing Content

 

                 Matt Sloan

 

I attended an exhibition in the Witt Gallery on the Sacramento State Campus Tuesday April 20. The exhibition showed the work of Matt Sloan who is an artist which works in hand built ceramics. I have actually seen his work before, but it seems like with his further exploration of form, his pieces seem to become more developed.

 

                            Ceramic Bowls

 

                    Close up of Ceramic Bowls

 

                                 Bowl detail

 

              Ceramic Pot

 

The exhibit in the Witt Gallery showcased a diverse assortment of his work pieces. The pieces ranged from cups, to bowls, slabs, and pots. Looking at his work I can see that his process deals with an exploration in form. It is evident in his pots that a specific decision was made to show seams to break up the surface of the pot. I noticed that a lot in his work, that Matt works with different ways of approaching the surface of his pieces through, the build up of form, the texture, and the glaze he decides to use on each piece.

 

                             Ceramic Cups

 

                       Ceramic Vessels/Jars

 

 

I was lucky enough to visit the exhibit while the artist was there and he discussed that history informs his work. He tries to, "take something you've seen before and make it your own." I like that he said that because in m background with hand- built ceramics, there is a reference to historical vessels and other art pieces when we create our own ceramic pieces. He also mentioned that he primarily uses clear glazes in his work and tries to make something happen.

 

                Scott Parody Ceramic Professor

 

 

 

           Kyle student looking at ceramic slabs

 

Scott Parody, a former ceramic teacher I have had, was also present during my walkthrough of the exhibit. His class was present to come look at Matt's work.  What I noticed throughout the pieces I viewed was his attention to detail in the surfaces of the ceramic pieces. For example in the image above, he etched designs into the slabs before they were fired. That process along with using slip in order to prevent a glossy finish allows the viewer to see how the surface interacts with the etching. A glossy finish would have over powered the work in my opinion. I think the artists decisions in whether to create a glossy surface on the ceramic pieces or keep the surface clearer brings his work together to create an interesting display on the possibilities of what one can create with clay. each step of the process is essential to the finish piece that one comes up with and the experience of working with clay is evident in his work.

 

 

                       Student viewing the work

 

 

        Matt Sloan and his pot

 

What was interesting was seeing how other students reacted with the work. At times students are not able to interact with the art displayed in the gallery. With this ceramic exhibit students were able to get close to the work, touch it, and feel the medium in their hands. It's something more to appreciate when a ceramic piece is in your hand. After it has been fired and glazed and you get to feel the weight of the object and the texture run along your fingertips. I also like to do that because it allows a closer view to the form of each individual piece. The exploration aspect of the exhibit was interesting to see as shown above, one student got close enough to touch the pots and I could carefully see him exploring the texture of the surface. I, as well as the student above, was drawn in by the precision of the artist hand in his work to bring his ceramic pieces to a great ceramic series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music in Painting

 

             Mike Henderson



I attended a lecture at Sacramento State April 12th for the artist Mike Henderson. Henderson is a musician, painter, and filmmaker. Art was something that he new he wanted to do. He quit school at sixteen and went back to school to get his high school diploma when he turned twenty one. The artist grew up in Missouri then he traveled to California later on to continue his art studies. Mike Henderson said that he always had a sketchpad with him. Earlier in his life Henderson worked at a shoe shine stand and he painted when he didn't have any customers.


            Earlier Paintings


Mike Henderson first saw abstract paintings at the Van Gogh show in which he saw examples of paintings such as work by George O'Keeffe.  When he first began painting he only had two colors blue and white oil paints. He learned to paint at the Art Institute of San Francisco. He began to paint scenes of the surrounding areas of San Francisco. Through his earlier paintings, he explored colors and how they interacted.


Painting of Columbus and Union St

      Painting doubt of religion

The artist then began to paint things that he liked people doing. Henderson was a musician and many of his paintings reflected his musical background. He painted scenes with music and bands. The artist began to doubt religion. He didn't like the idea of "praying to a white Jesus." He didn't like the way life was set up in California in which African Americans dealt with the issue of turning the other cheek. He felt that suffering wasn't something that he was meant to do.


              Painting shapes
The next progression in his work led him down the path in which he painted shapes. He believed that you can learn to paint anything with four basic shapes. These shapes can be found in nature. He also saw these shapes in space. During this period in time was around the time we landed on the moon. He attempted, during this process to use different tones of grey to get more color into the painting. Through each painting, the artist also tried to work on something technical such as space, working on the figure from left to right, and challenging what was comfortable.

       The Chair as a metaphor



        Trash can as metaphor





The artist also went through a style where he began to create art from found objects. Cutting holes in the canvas, burning it in the oven, and adding water to the canvas. He used different materials to create a sort of collage with his art materials. After awhile he started to miss the brush in his hand. He started to use the chair as a metaphor for heavy conversation. He also used the trash can in his paintings as a metaphor. The trash cans symbolized, "to get to something, you have to go through something." He painted the human situation and personal life experiences through the painting of common day objects he saw around him. Such as with the trash cans, those are things he saw every day were the trash cans and the homeless. He felt you can tell much about a person by what they throw away in the trash cans and the condition in which the trash cans were left.


              Color as sound

Mike Henderson always considered himself exploring through his art. He never wanted to paint the same thing. Everything had to be spontaneous. He always considered doing something on a piece of paper before he entered a canvas. The artist also explored different sizes of canvas because he felt the size of the canvas effected how the artist applies paint to the canvas. Color guided much of his work and later on in his career, he began exploring painting color as sound. The image above is a painting he did when he moved to Oakland. The many uses of color reflect the sounds of the crowd in Oakland. This was his process of getting back into the flow of painting color. Through his work Henderson always tried to "figure out who I am?" He also stated, "working through the arts is a good way to find out who you are." That last quote really stuck with me at the end of the lecture because while we create our own art we are trying to figure out what our art is saying about us or about the world. Our art stands as a symbol to tell the viewer who we are and what statement we want to make through that art. Art can be influential if that's the intention and we hold the power to say something with the art we make.

 

Student Award Show

 
                         Student Award Show

I attended the student award show in the Else Gallery on the Sacramento State Campus. The show included art pieces from different mediums that varied from paintings, photography, sculptures, and digital works.

 

 

 

 

The award show immerses the viewer into a contemporary gallery of art made by the students of Sacramento State. I viewed this gallery more than once. As a student who attends Sacramento State, it is a great opportunity to see some of the work created by the students we walk among every day especially from all walks of medium that we use in art today.

As a digital artist, I find the experience fulfilling to see digital works of art among the art that we expect to see in a museum. Talking with those who have seen some of my work, it's often that I hear this question. If you do this work on a computer, is it really art? I think in this day in age we have to remind viewers that new media is  flourishing and an expanding source in art today. Digital or new media expresses to me how much art has developed over the years to now see a computer as an art tool just like a paint brush.

I entered one of my digital works of art that was accepted into this gallery space. I created a video piece that was an exploration of a self-portrait in the way that the video is a story of how much music is a part of me and a center in my life. "Music is Me" gives the viewer a deeper look into myself. I like that the gallery presents the opportunity to see an example of the contemporary art that we are a part of creating. Art that is influenced by what we have learned in history, but have shaped from our own experiences in life.


                               "Music is Me"