| Inside
Works
the newsletter
for Works/San Jose - Spring 2006
articles
Many Differences, One Similarity
by Mahshid Modares
Flux,
Works' yearly members' exhibition, was held on March 28 - April 22 , 2006.
The reception was attended by over 350 people, who viewed over two-hundred
art works in a wide range of media including painting, drawing, photography,
video art, collage, printmaking, installation, and sculpture. Such a variety
allowed the audience to appreciate varied subject matter, concepts and
use of materials. Each piece narrated a different story, but they all
had one factor in common: freedom of expression.
Erin
Pannu, president of the board of directors, calls the exhibition an absolute
success. "Our members' exhibition is special because it represents the
diversity and richness of artistic expression in the south bay. This year,
a new twist was added to this annual tradition with the introduction of
two Jurors Choice Awards. George Rivera, Executive Director of the Triton
Museum of Art, and Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez, Associate Director/Curator
of MACLA, selected the recipients of the Jurors Choice Awards. Both jurors
were very enthusiastic about the quality of the works, the freshness and
subtlety of ideas, and the unique use of materials being showcased. The
jurors felt that this was one of our strongest members' exhibitions to
date." The awards were sponsored by University Arts.
Introducing Artists Karrie Hovey and Cristina Velázquez:
Recipients of the Juror's Choice Awards for Flux
Karrie Hovey, an installation artist, graduated with an MFA from San
Francisco State University in 2005. She received her BFA from the
School of Visual Arts, New York. Currently, she has an MFA Residency
at the Headlands Center for the Arts (www.headlands.org).
Hovey was one of the two recipients of Jurors Choice Awards. Having
always been fascinated by the way words are used to skew and sway
public opinion, Hovey has selected eight words that have been used
by the media to discuss the U.S. involvement in Iraq: Liberation,
Mobilization, Neutralization, Obligation, Invasion, Polarization,
Occupation, and Homeland. Each word is printed on white flags suspended
in a human sized fenced cylinder. The piece confronts the viewer with
the nuisance of language and questions the influence of religion on
political policy. For more information about Karrie Hovey, please
see her website: www.karriehovey.com
Karrie Hovey - Untitled - mixed media - 2006 photo: Mahshid
Modares
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Untitled - Cristina Velázquez - mixed media -
2006 - photo: Mashid Modares |
Cristina Velázquez received her BFA in pictorial arts from San José State University.
Working actively as an artist, she has been focusing on women issues. Her untitled, mixed media
skirt made from mini-pads stitched together made her one of the two recipients of Jurors Choice Awards.
"Dedicated to women, my art work is a reflection of who I am; it is the internal cry from my heart.
I'm a woman and the title is disappointing as long as I am asked to do what is the norm for women.
It is hard for me to accept and follow traditions and standards. As a woman, I am able to contribute
a lot more than the domestic chores. In my art work, I focus on my body and what it is created for:
to give life; for that I not only have my uterus, but also a brain."
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Music and Performance:
A Call to Prayer
by Mahshid Modares
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The
unique, innovative performance piece A Call to Prayer was presented
by San Jose artist Jack Toolin on March 31 at the reception for Flux.
Keay Edwards was the performance technician. A Call to Prayer was an invitation
for the audience to participate in the art.
In this performance, the artist, who was dressed in a dirty old navy
blue suit, hung from the ceiling by two ropes around his torso. His head
was completely covered. Acting like a dead body, Jack let the ropes create
a slight movement. The audience, however, moved around to see him from
different angles. In order to understand the performance entirely, the
observer had to come forward and stand right below the hanging artist
and listen to the American mid-century pop and Arabic music emanating
from the suspended speaker. The music was an appropriate choice for the
artist’s intention and tempted the viewer to become directly and
vigorously involved in the performance.
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photo: Geri Wittig
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A Call to Prayer
reflected a razor-sharp message: “the conflict in Iraq and
the toll paid by both cultures” as Jack Toolin describes it
himself. This performance was a dialogue about war, hatred, social
discrimination, and how much the lives of innocent people are harmed
by politics. A Call to Prayer was an extraordinary performance that
hooked the audience effectively and
reflected our collective anxiety about the war in Iraq.
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