Reflection Connection
We create to connect with people, to find out what we believe in, to share our own ways of being in the world. We look at our reflection as a work of art in itself and ponder ways of creating new connections and we absorb art as a way of returning to that. Art is a mirror. Creativity is a reflection of so many things, not least of which is the current state we find ourselves in. This includes political environments, our personal baggage, projections, external contemplations. Art gives us a way to process things, to find out what we think, what we value, and what we're still questioning. The artists in this month's exhibition all have reflective qualities that lend themselves to this environment.
Chris Wood uses a range of high and low-tech optical materials to harness patterns of light that suggest ephemeral glimpses of moments in the natural world. Her sculptures are simple arrangements creating kinetic patterns in response to the environments in which they are placed. The artist often uses a material called dichroic (meaning “two color”) glass, which was developed by NASA in the 1950s. Dichroic glass has a special optical coating meant to reflect certain wavelengths of light while letting others through.
The crystal clear glass sculptures of Dylan Martinez are inspired by perceptions of reality. The artist is red-green colorblind, therefore his work is driven by a curiosity of perception. Inspired by Trompe L’œil, H2O/SiO2 is a hot sculpted glass hand molded entirely by the artist. The trapped movement of the rising bubbles and the gesture of the forms convince the eye that the sculptures are just as they appear: bags of water.
Victoria Kovalenchikova is inspired by the connection between all humans, and in her series, “Earth,” she explores the planet as a work of art. Using google images to explore the Earth in its entirety, she plays with angles and textures. An earlier series focused on the tightly zoomed in areas of urban cities, and the “Earth” series is the antithesis of this micro exploration.
