In the same trip as South of Market and Botticelli to Braque, I came across a really wonderful exhibit. Divergence: Emerging Legacies was a three day juried new generations student showcase that included student work from northern California art schools and universities. The event also included an undergraduate art history symposium which I would have loved to attend, but sadly could not make it to. I was blown away by the inventive spirit and energy in this small exhibit. It was crowded, the artists bunched together around their works to take pictures on what I am sure was a momentous day for them.
The piece below, Mass of Dignity, is what initially drew me to the room. The painting is captivating, yet I haven't been able to figure out exactly why. The figure is staring blankly out at the audience, yet I feel like it is also imploring. Paint runs down the canvas, over the composition starting from the figure's left eye, which strongly reminds me of the work of Hung Liu. Without context I can ponder, but I wonder if there is a link between Hung Liu's theme of making good work and the "dignity" expressed in the title.
Yi Shin Chiang, Mass of Dignity, 2014, Oil on Canvas.
Another work that really interested me was the sculptural work by Alyssa Eustaquio, pictured below. On a tall, pink, sparkly base small, silver high heeled shoes lay inside a clear box. The heels are cast silver, and as the artists titled her work, Barbie I Can Be...Standard Heels, the heels represent the standard heel of the american Barbie. The artist is literally putting these tiny heels on a pedestal and behind glass. (Though the work does not actually note whether the clear box is made from plastic or glass, the symbolism is still there. In fact, if the box is actually made from plastic, that could say something interesting about the idea of the female ideal.) Putting the Barbie shoes on a pedestal glorifies them, gives them the importance the idea of "Barbie" often has for young girls. If Barbie represents the female ideal, then this artist is showing that in all of its absurdity. It's even more interesting to me that these shoes were cast, hand made, in metal, making them even less attainable. But perhaps that is why the artist puts the shoes on this girly pedestal behind a glass box, to show the complete nonattainability of Barbie and all that she represents.
Alyssa Eustaquio, Barbie I Can Be...Standard Heels,
2015, Cast Silver, sparkle and pink.
Jizhi Li exhibited extraordinary face adornments at the show. I noticed on her business card that she is listed as a jewelry designer, which I think is interesting considering the relatively unwearable nature of her pieces. Truly wearable or not, they are quite magnificent. Pictured below is her eye adornment, which resembles a steampunk-looking fractured masquerade mask, from her Look at my Face set. The other piece is a teeth adornment that covers the mouth. While fascinating on a purely visual level, the title of the work also makes me wonder about feminist ideas connected to the pieces.
Jizhi Li, Look at my face: Eye adornment, 2014, Silver, brass, bronze.
Another piece that attracted me was Junyan Huo's Rorschach Hou Test I. This piece is obviously meant to resemble a Rorschach Test, but what interested me the most was how all the figures look like women flailing or dancing around. The intensity of the contrast of the black and white adds to the appeal of the piece, making your attention completely hone in on the black composition. I do not know what Huo is saying with this piece, but if a Rorschach Test is supposed to show your inner self and how you perceive the world, I think this piece could speak of the artist's desire to be free.
Junyan Huo, Rorschach Hou Test I, 2015,
Archival pigment inkjet print.
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