November 24, 2009 TheJibseet ARTS 7
Professional artwork on display at BC
You have the chance to party with Michael Cera, from
Superbad and the Oscar'S-winning Juno, and be invited to a free screening
of his upcoming film Youth In Revolt at your college.
How it works: Colleges from Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and
Philadelphia are eligible to participate. The top college in EACH
of the 5 cities will win! (Total of 5 winning schools)
http://eventful.com/youthinrevolt
Visit to demand Mi'chael Cera and Youth In Revolt at your school!
Colin Takasawa
ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR
The Bellevue College Art
Gallery is currently hosting a
new exhibit entitled "Three/
Solo." The exhibition showcases
artwork from three professional
artists: Matthew Ballou, Jacob
Foran, and Fred Lisaius. Their
three respective segments are
entitled: "Strive," "Trounce," and
"Flourish."
Ballou's collection,
"Strive," consists of twelve tondo
pieces created in multiple layers
of pastel. Ballou says of his art,
"The group of works I present
here is a small contemplation on
the gesture or shape of struggle,
concern, and distress." Ballou's
words aptly fit his work.
The men and women in his
pieces appear naked in many
of them, their bodies contorted
or being held against their will.
MatthewBalloustresses,however,
that these are not representations
of physical pain. "They are
instead symbolic stylizations
of the aches we feel, inspired
by an iconography of bodily
form and posture. They imagine
the machinations we get. up to
when in states of deep anxiety,
whether in our banal daily lives
or amid the worrisome questions
of intellectual engagement. They
are about a kind of conceptual
discomfiture distilled through the
image of the body," said Ballou.
Aesthetically, the pastels
are extremely rich in detail,
capturing a single frame of
movement and a single moment
in time. One piece, "Paroxysm,"
features dark, cold colors
and portrays a faceless-being
crawling on top of a heap of
rubble. Another, "The Impossible
Geometries of Contemplation,"
depicts an individual sitting,
facing away from the viewer,
reflecting; darkness to his left and
a potential horizon to his right.
Jacob Foran's collection,
"Trounce," consists of sculptures
that are realistic yet bizarre,
created with ceramics, an
assortment of media and found
objects. His sculptures range
from animals like "Eddie," a pale
mastiff, to orange submarines
and unreal, fragmented pseudo-
human figures. Objects like
bones, hair and animal skin
add to the surreal effect of his
artwork. The near-human eyes
of some of Foran's sculptures
are the most disturbing aspect
of his pieces, making the figures
appear as frozen beings, still
. alive but unable to communicate.
One such piece, entitled "Cuby,"
is a towering statue of an
intimidating, powerfully built,
naked man; the eyes in particular
add an authenticity that is very
unsettling.
"I make art that
makes me question
• and derives its power
from being vulnerable
to interpretation,"
Fred Lisaius
Artist
The third collection, by
Fred Lisaius, is titled "Flourish,"
and it is far different from the
other two collections. His colorful
paint renditions of the beauty of
nature evoke tranquil thoughts.
The paintings themselves are
very serene, demonstrating an
appreciation of the natural world.
"Sometimes I think .of
my studio as a greenhouse both
physically and metaphorically.
It has three large skylights and
windows on three walls. It
glows a beautiful light even on
cloudy Northwest days. This is
where I grow my ideas and they
manifest themselves as my plants,
flowers, animals and landscapes.
Ultimately these are paintings
about ourselves and our world,"
said Lisaius.
Ballou's, Foran's, and
Lisaius' exhibits are all worth
seeing. The Bellevue College
Art Gallery is on the second floor
above the library in room 271.
The exhibition will run until Dec.
9. Remember, the artists want you
to see the pieces they've created.
"I make art that makes
me question and derives its
power from being vulnerable to
interpretation," said Fred Lisaius.
ARTS@THEJIBSHEET.COM
qm,
