MU R M U R I N T H E G LA DE Fa l l 2 0 1 4 B FA T h e s i s E x h i b i t i o n f l o r i da i n t e r n at i o n a l u n i v e r s i t y
Alumni Association
The Art + Art History Department at Florida International University is pleased to present M u r m u r i n t h e G l a d e , the Fall 2014 Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition. This exhibition is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and experimentation. It is representative of the level of ambition and the quality of work done within each discipline in the BFA program. Many of the artists in this exhibition turn their gaze inward to explore themes of family, the self, or the very nature of perception, while others use their personal experiences as a lens through which to view broader sociopolitical concerns. Each of these artists has developed a specific line of visual and conceptual inquiry over the course of their studies that will now serve as a springboard for the continued evolution of their creative practices. Many thanks to Kelley Antoniazzi-Taksier for generously donating her time and skills in the design of this catalogue. Dustin London Instructor, BFA Thesis II November 2014
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MU R M U R I N T H E G LA DE B EA I n t e r n a t i o n a l G a l l e ry a t t h e P a u l L . C e j a s Sc h o o l o f A r c h i t e ct u r e Florida International University 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199 o p e n i n g r e c e pt i o n Wednesday, December 17th, 2014, 6 to 8 p.m. o n d i s p l ay Wednesday, December 17th, 2014 through Friday, January 9th, 2015
f e at u r i n g wo r k b y A pr i l H ar tl ey Juan Paez N ath al i e A l fo n s o N ed Ch an dl er Ch r i s ti an S pen c er Gr ac e B erl er K aren - Jan i n e Co h en K ar i n a Ro c c o L i n da H am i l to n L o urdes Ro ch e
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A P RIL HART LEY a p r i l h a r t l e y. c o m
Sewing is in my blood and it is part of my history. It not only links me to the women in my family tree, but it also connects me to people across cultures and boundaries of time. As I stitch and pull and knot, I am reminded that I am also stitching myself into a place within an immeasurable history. This project utilizes an intuitive process that indulges my innate desire to turn inward and question everything. I start with several layers of thick paper that I tear holes from as if peeling back a shroud or digging into dense earth. Then I satisfy the urge to mend these holes by stitching tight concentric lines around and around their perimeters. These stitches become steps in a journey, a way for my mind to travel. The geometry and rhythm of the patterns that underlie all layers provides comfort in their predictability, like everything is in its place. The works that develop are like little portals inviting me to keep on wondering and questioning, seeking out patterns and order within the uncertainty and mystery that comes with just being alive.
April Hartley | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 07
08 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | April Hartley
Untitled Paper, cotton and metallic thread 10 x 10 inches 2014
Untitled Paper, cotton and metallic thread 7 x 7 inches 2014
April Hartley | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 11
12 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | April Hartley
Untitled Paper and cotton thread 10 x 10 inches 2014
JUAN P AE Z juanpaez.com
My paintings give the impression of unremarkable instances that are nonetheless relatable. Like entries in a diary, these portable pieces visually narrate moments of contemplation which, at times, end as quickly as they come. One piece might represent a cursory glance at a stranger in a waiting room. Another might be more aptly described as a long absent stare through a window or into the warped reflection in a door knob--the moment after one comes to from a long stream of an inward monologue, to focus on the glint of a metallic surface. Half-described forms conceal the subjects, allowing the viewer to discern, for example, only the suggestion of a face underneath an ocean of black. The flow of the paint allows the objects to, at times, dissolve amid the focus of the moment, as do our thoughts in the machinery of routine. My paintings deal with gaps in visual perception, as well as the epiphanic flashes that grant us respite from daily normalcy.
Juan Paez | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 15
16 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Juan Paez
Waiting Acrylic on paper 8.3 x 5.9 inches 2014
Reading Acrylic on paper 8.3 x 5.9 inches 2014
Juan Paez | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 19
20 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Juan Paez
Reminder Acrylic on paper 8.3 x 5.9 inches 2014
N at h a l i e A l f o n s o
My work investigates manual labor through an integration of mark making and cleaning. For three months, I drew a solid, thick black line directly on a white wall with charcoal, using the muscle memory of cleaning. This exhaustive process allowed me to question the value of labor and evaluate my need for order and meticulousness. Scrubbing off the line confronted me not only with accepting the nature of the materials and the irremovable memory of them, but also with recognizing the impossibility of returning to the original appearance of the surface. The pattern of construction and destruction has become a constant in my work, helping me to embrace both approaches as the same process.
Nathalie Alfonso | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 23
24 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Nathalie Alfonso
Hidden Marks of Exhaustion Video Still, 00:08:56 Run time 1:36:15 2014
Hidden Marks of Exhaustion Video Still, 01:25:20 Run time 1:36:15 2014
Nathalie Alfonso | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 27
Hidden Marks of Exhaustion Charcoal on paper 48 x 36 inches 2014
NED C HANDLER
What would happen if we stop, and disregard the reality we think we know? What would be left except time itself ? Within my photographs I manipulate beings, ridding them of their personal characteristics, leaving only a blackened form. The physical place is also stripped and removed, creating vast and vacant spaces.
Ned Chandler | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 31
32 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Ned Chandler
Untitled Digital Print 3 x 5 inches 2014
Untitled Digital Print 3 x 5 inches 2014
Ned Chandler | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 35
36 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Ned Chandler
Untitled Digital Print 5 x 7 inches 2014
C h r i s t i a n Sp e n c e r http://myweb.fiu.edu/cspen016/
As a man with Autism, I have difficulty communicating and expressing myself to others. One of the few ways I am able to fully express myself is through my drawings and animations. My work provides a narrative of those with misunderstood disabilities, especially those that fall in the Autistic spectrum. There has been a rapid increase in people diagnosed with Autism in recent years. It now affects two million people in the U.S. alone. Autism is a complicated disorder that can be difficult to explain to others. Many even stereotype Autism as a form of mental retardation, which is one of many misconceptions stemming from popular culture. Through this work, I hope to show the struggles of having a disability and how people with Autism are able to “cope with their flaws.�
Christian Spencer | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 39
40 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Christian Spencer
Autism Speaks Graphite on paper 17 x 75 inches 2014
Special Snowflakes (detail) Graphite on paper 31.5 x 75 inches 2014
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44 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Christian Spencer
Get Well Soon Mrs. Rosenson Digital Animation still 2014
grace berler g r a c e b e r l e r. c o m
My work comes from a nostalgia for right now. I use photography as a way to remain present and continue to question how I look at things. This work is an honest and real reflection of this point in my life. It’s about really feeling my feelings. It’s about nurturing curiosity. It’s about being here, preserving this. I like taking pictures of the people and places and things that I love. Forming emotional attachments with my pictures is what makes them good to me. I want viewers to feel something, form their own attachments. I also want to show off, because I’m a secret exhibitionist. I don’t know where to draw the line between private and public. All I know for sure is that I think vulnerability is beautiful and interesting.
Grace Berler | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 47
48 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Grace Berler
Untitled (Peter) C-Print 10 x 8 inches 2014
Untitled (Hole) C-Print 8 x 10 inches 2014
Grace Berler | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 51
52 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Grace Berler
Untitled (The Sun) C-Print 8 by 10 inches 2014
karen-janine cohen
I document my interaction with animals to explore how I create my own path through the physical world, and forge trails through my emotional, spiritual and dream worlds. My recent drawings are inspired by the lives of three black molly fish in their tank. I use my body to understand their bodies. By literally moving with my whole body through ink and water on a large piece of paper I submerse myself in the act of drawing. In other works I use graphite, charcoal, and various washes that can be put down and erased, immersing myself in an exploration of form and movement.
Karen-Janine Cohen | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 55
56 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Karen-Janine Cohen
Immersion 5 Charcoal and graphite on paper 59 1/2 x 59 1/2 inches 2014
58 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Karen-Janine Cohen
Submersion 2 Ink on paper 59 1/2 x 108 inches 2014
K a r i n a R o cc o karinarocco.com
My house always found itself at the center of the attention and was chosen as the gathering venue for the whole family and its many stories, dramas, and traditions. However, we decided to leave the country. Eventually, it seemed like the only interaction resembling those lively moments occurred exclusively within my immediate family. My parents’ house, however, remains the enclave of family interaction and it becomes progressively a place of nostalgia as we carry on with our separate lives. Independence has taken a toll in our family traditions. Yet, individuality can still be fostered within a family core whose bonds remain strong despite the challenges arising with time. This body of work is a statement of love, appreciation, and remembrances. It outlines an introspective journey about how I perceive my family, and how I see myself through them. It is within them where I find a sense of place, a sense of self.
Karina Rocco | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 61
62 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Karina Rocco
Mom and Sister Archival Pigment Print 16 x 24 inches 2014
Pink Ring Archival Pigment Print 12 x 12 inches 2014
Karina Rocco | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 65
66 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Karina Rocco
Superman Archival Pigment Print 12 x 12 inches 2014
l i n da h a m i lto n
We have our unicorns and mine is the notion of a post-racial world. We try to fast-forward to this fanciful Utopia, avoiding the prick that would awaken us to the ugly underbelly of progress. I strive to document the pressures that identifiers like race and gender have created within America’s cultural portrait regarding Black women. I turn the proverbial gun on myself and my viewers to awaken us from our ignorance. My pieces are cushions that allow my viewers a sense of comfort or a moment of apprehension, jarring or soothing, questioning our affiliation with the positive, negative, and neutral spaces within this conversation.
Linda Hamilton | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 69
70 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Linda Hamilton
Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t Embroidery on vinyl 6 x 6 inches 2014
Flawless Archival Pigment Print 19 x 13 inches 2014
Linda Hamilton | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 73
l o u r d e s ro c h e lourdesrocheart.com
I simplify my environment into the experience of pure color. By digitally abstracting and dissecting my videos, I reveal the different pigments that make up color. I create a dancing motion of colors and patterns that appear and disappear through shades, tints, and layers of seemingly transparent and opaque pixels.
Lourdes Roche | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 75
76 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Lourdes Roche
Fire and Lights Digital Video Still Courtesy of the Artist 2014
Lights 2 Digital Video Still Courtesy of the Artist 2014
Lourdes Roche | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | 79
80 | M UR M UR IN T HE G LADE | Lourdes Roche
Lights in the Sky Digital Video Still Courtesy of the Artist 2014
Photography Courtesy of the Artists c ata l o g d e s i g n by Kelley Taksier