'Telepathic Jungle' captures spirit of exploration through collage
Eleven artists from across the country will display their work in “Telepathic Jungle,” an exhibition that presents collage processes across a range of materials, including ceramics, fibers, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video. Sometimes playful, sometimes challenging, all works combine rich color and an exuberant spirit of exploration, making the “Telepathic Jungle” gallery a dynamic and vibrant space.
An opening reception will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, in the Schick Art Gallery, on the second floor of Saisselin Art Building. The event will include an artists’ talk at 5:30 p.m. featuring five of the artists: Melissa Dadourian, Bryan Graf, Ken Kewley, Mary Lum, and Courtney Puckett. “Telepathic Jungle” will remain on display through Friday, April 25.
“Telepathic Jungle” is curated by Rebecca Shepard in conjunction with the Department of Art. All Schick Art Gallery exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
Embossed pigmented cotton
White stoneware, cone 6
Mixed media on newspaper, mounted on canvas
Video collage
Relief printing, mixed media
Ceramics, mixed media
About the artists
Shanna Fliegel and Matt Mitros work in ceramics. Fliegel fuses discreet forms into tender and funny wall reliefs, while Mitros uses clay with materials like plastic tubing and pompoms to create ingenious and witty sculptures. Painter Derek Fordjour creates the canvases of his works with extensive newspaper and cardboard layering, creating dense, physically engaging surfaces for his subjects.
Melissa Dadourian uses fiber, yarn, paint, knitting, and embossing to create works that are both delicate and animated. Bryan Graf exposes photographic paper to light, layering the results into absorbing prints and transparencies. Ken Kewley and Mary Lum present smaller, abstract pieces; Lum’s photocollages suggest geometric, architectural spaces, while Kewley’s miniature creations are two-by-two-inch biomorphic collages made from painted paper.
Tomashi Jackson’s compelling video collages engage formal aspects with racial history, posing new questions about the interaction of history and color theory. Delita Martin incorporates relief printing, paint, charcoal, fabric, decorative papers, and hand-stitching to create portraits of Black women that communicate strength and complexity.
Courtney Puckett’s sculptures use found objects, yarn, and fabric to balance playful figurative gesture with abstracted form and color. Meanwhile, Jessica Stockholder’s bold “Carpet, Pillow, Paint” combines household items to make a wall sculpture that’s both familiar and chaotic.
