For the next three weeks senior art theses will be on display at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery. On Friday’s at noon, artists will be available at the exhibits to discuss their work.
The first week of projects, which are on display until Sunday, range from prints to architectural models to denim body bags to a shark made out of plastic silverware. Exhibitors include seniors Emily Chua, Felicia Garcia, Anya Grant, Rebekah Krieger, Aki Sasamoto, and Jessie Silbert.
Emily Chua’s work, entitled “The Good Life,” includes a shroud made out of lined notebook paper. Although the shroud looks more like a bathrobe, the workmanship and skill required to make lined paper look and behave like cloth is quite impressive. Chua’s exhibit also includes faux designer denim body bags, a wall hanging made out of headphones, a sculpture of a shark made entirely of plastic silverware, and paper weights made out of normal desk items encased in heavy layers of packaging tape. Chua’s creative work transforms everyday commodities into startling, yet pleasing and humorous works of art.
Aki Sasamoto’s “Usual Breakfast” is more of an experience than a simple exhibit. Before entering Sasamoto’s exhibit, people must remove their shoes (do not confuse the discarded shoes with a modern art exhibit). Viewers enter Sasamoto’s exhibit and walk over crunchy breakfast plates, which are made from wrapped dishes that were rubberized, smashed, and wrapped in sheers and cloths, to view a performance through breakfast glassware. Performers on the other side of the glass enact a not-so- usual breakfast ritual that includes breaking and sweeping up dishware. One-hundred-and-fifty pieces of dishware will be used during the week. Although the performance itself is rather flat, entering and becoming part of the exhibit and peeking through cups and bowls makes the experience all the more intriguing.
Sasamoto admits that having viewers walk through her work is “quite scary, but that’s part of it. And [she has] to live with it.” She said she does hope that although destruction is part of her work, that viewers will not try to break anything, especially because it would be dangerous.
Finally Jessie Silbert’s collection of dresses made of alternative materials is breathtaking. The exhibit consists of beautiful designer-style dresses made entirely of zippers, guitar picks, feather tops, red tulle, cloth rose petals, and developed film strips. At first glance, the materials make the dresses appear completely impractical, but an elegant film made by Julius Onah accompanies the dresses, showing each dress being modeled and worn—as a skating outfit, as a dance outfit, etc., proving that the dresses are not just decorative but also functional. Either the dresses or the film would have been an excellent project by itself; displaying the two together makes a stunning presentation.
“[I advise] those who view my designs not to look deeply into each piece and try to interpret its meaning. My intention is for my audience to enjoy looking at and wearing my designs,” Silbert said. “[I like to] focus on visual elements and create essentially pretty things.”
Viewers would be wise to follow Silbert’s advice for all the exhibits. Artists encourage everyone to stop by and take a glance at their theses, which will be available for viewing from noon to 4, Tuesday through Sunday.
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