Spencer Brown, Gregory Simoncic, Roxana Derakhshani, Gabriela Gomez and Deidra West pose for a picture, Sunday in Tempe. The seniors are artists featured in the exhibition "Bent Realities," which opened Tuesday in Gallery 100 at the Tempe Center. (Jonathan Galan/ State Press)"Sculpture is the art of the hole and the lump," the late French sculptor Auguste Rodin said.
Such a vague, abstract statement is difficult to comprehend, but browsing the current "Bent Realities" exhibition at ASU's Gallery 100 in Tempe may actually offer a bit of insight.
Perhaps Rodin's opinion evokes the idea of a method of creation which incorporates the incomplete and the unknown "holes" in life with a sense of collectivism and bustling completion. This concept can be seen in the exhibition, which features work from five ASU seniors.
Some sculptures, such as Gabriela Gomez's "Greetings!" offer a simple sense of quirkiness and completion, while others, including Gregory Simoncic's "Failed Experiment," invoke a feeling of chaos and intentional disorganization.
"Failed Experiment" is especially intriguing when one learns the individual products that make up the whole. Simoncic explained that he combined bundles of vibrating, illuminated fiber optic wires and cinched them together inside a baby-sized mannequin he stumbled upon. The pieces are odd, but the final product evokes feelings of zany experimentation that so many young people can relate to.
In fact, Simoncic's work as a whole embodies a youthful yet pensive energy that makes it very accessible and enjoyable for a diverse group of individuals.
Senior Gregory Simoncic poses with his sculpture, "Crossing Lines," Sunday in Tempe. Simoncic will be one of the sculptors featured in the exhibition "Bent Realities," which opened Tuesday in Gallery 100 at the Tempe Center. (Jonathan Galan/ State Press)Other works were more candid and personal, such as Roxana Derakhshani's "Aqua Marine," which she said symbolized her transition into America from her home country of Iran and the process of "coming out of her shell."
Derakhshani's strong cultural heritage and history brought a wonderfully unique and meaningful angle to the show. Her sculptures blend modern angles and tones with timeless detail, making them symbols of visual poetry that are not easily forgotten.
Deidra West's work exemplified a sense of kookiness blended with a uniquely introspective nature. For instance, a few of her sculptures exhibited quirky plays on words such as "oct-o-pie," an octopus/pie conglomerate, and "growing on industry."
West's profound sense of introspection shines through her insight into her own creative perspective and artistic purpose.
"This is my therapy; I have no other desire than to continue to divulge the past that should be past, the love that is shown to me that I do not feel, and the animosity I want to mold into existence," West said in her artist statement.
Senior Roxana Derakhshani poses with her art piece titled Aqua Marine on Sunday in Tempe. Derakhshani, a metals
sculptor, will be one of the sculptors featured in the exhibition
"Bent Realities," which opened Tuesday in Gallery 100 at
the Tempe Center. (Jonathan Galan/ State Press)
Another artist featured in the gallery was Spencer Brown, whose artist statement offered insight into the mind of a man who is acutely aware of genuine expressions, feelings and circumstances that exist in reality. Brown knows how to create work that relates to viewers and invites them to walk alongside him in an exploration of humanity.
"I enjoy eliciting a variety of viewpoints from those who view my work and often find new meaning in the work I have created through others' insights that may have become narrow in my own interpretation," Brown said in his artist statement. "As a whole, I simply aspire to explore reality and then relate that exploration in forms that invite the viewers to explore with me."
Also on exhibit was the work of Gabriela Gomez, who magnificently manipulated a variety of materials to create vibrant, crisp work. Blowing Smoke, for instance, combined a plastic mold of a face and sporadically bent neon to create a piece that balanced vibrant light with other reflective undertones.
Gomez's work satisfies a desire expressed in her artist statement for viewers to "stop for a moment, turn off their minds and be happy."
As a whole, each artist created personalized work that invited outside viewers to experience both the familiar and the abstract from a variety of eccentric angles.
"Bent Realities" is showing at ASU's Gallery 100 until Feb. 20.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Roxana Derakhshani was from Iraq. She is actually from Iran and the story has been updated.
Reach the reporter at celina.jimenez@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @lina_lauren.
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