Special Edition Blog Post #2: Opposites Unite! Art Exhibit

On Wednesday, I attended the reception for "Opposites Unite," a student exhibit at the Visual Arts Center of Saint Xavier University.

Before getting into the description of the show itself, 
I should note that this exhibit has been developing publicly over the last few weeks 
in the public gallery of the VAC. Four weeks ago, most of the canvases were completely blank, 
and it was incredibly cool to see the works come to life, day by day. I am lucky enough to go to 
class with a half dozen of the artists involved, and was able to speak to them repeatedly over the 
past few weeks about their goals, their challenges, and what they hoped to create. 
After attending the reception, I gained an even better appreciation for their work, 
and was impressed with the teamwork, cooperation and creativity involved.

This piece explored the mundanity of existence, and the incredible world of imagination.

Based on a trip to Bachelor's Grove, a famous Chicago haunted cemetery, the story really made the piece.

The name of the exhibit, "Opposites Unite" was created by the event's curator, 
Cathie Ruggie Saunders to take two very different themes, portrayed by two very different 
artists who would find a way to work together to create a unified piece
that demonstrated those opposites coming together to create a whole.

I was most impressed with the works of 4 specific artists, the first of which being a digital/analog

 blended piece by Erin Kelly & Chris Thach, in which Erin (who normally works in traditional

media) created a digital rendering in photoshop, and animated it, then projecting that 

animation onto the screen to encompass a painting, 

created by Chris who prefers digital art creation.

Chris Thach describing his work, observed by Cathie Ruggie Saunders, the event's curator.

I am uploading a video of the playback below.

Secondly, I was blown away by the execution of Citali Torres & Bogghart Alvarez, 

who created an epic depiction of good versus evil. Perhaps as ambitious a theme as one can

undertake, they did it in a multi-cultural, eye-catching, feast, that defies the butcher paper 

it's created on.

Bogghart's black and white forces of good, 

(You could write a book on how "good" is all about black and white, and "evil" is all about color.) 

a dragon, griffin, and angelic knight clash with Citali's fiery three headed hound, satyr, cyclops, 

spider queen and imp. The clash of swords in the center, in light yellow, is the meeting of 

color vs. absence of color, and it really draws the eye. 

The characters are lifelike, engaging and entertaining, and it kept me coming 

back to look again and again.

The process of doing the work in black and white vs. color wasn't even in their initial plans, 

Citali told me. She planned to add only splashes of color, but got carried away by how it 

started looking. Bogghart's vision never varied from his initial designs of working in graphite 

and shading his characters to show their goodness, or perfection. 

As a design duo, the said that cooperation didn't come easily, and that Bogghart in 

particular struggled to convey his ideas regarding what the final piece would look like, 

but while they worked together, they were able to find ways to communicate, 

and crafted an image that demonstrates that cooperation.

I look forward to working with both of these artists in the future, 

and can't wait to see what they come up with next.

The full format. Easily 9 feet high by 12-14 feet across.

Creeps.

The artists discussing their work.

This could have me revisiting my opinion of spiders.

Harry Potter would be proud. #griffindor #hpfan

The struggle is real.

This is fantastic. You can feel the fire on its breath.