Harris Gallery Presents Material Worlds

Featured Artists:
Alycia Anthony
Adam Belt
Albert Contreras
David Allan Peters
Zemer Peled

The Harris Art Gallery is excited to present Material Worlds a group exhibition featuring paintings and sculptures by Alycia Anthony, Adam Belt, Albert Contreras, David Allan Peters, and Zemer Peled.

Alycia Anthony personalizes found objects with colorful and patterned synthetic materials. For her recent sculptures Anthony salvaged antiquated fitness equipment from the backyard of her family’s home – neglected objects of transformation that had fallen into disrepair. In her studio, she went to work adorning pedals, pulleys, and levers with tightly woven paracord, casting vintage lace, and integrating domestic plastic coverings. Her aesthetic acumen and careful manipulation exposed contradictions and created new meanings. Rejuvenated with elaborate exoskeletons of colorful paracord and punchy plastic hues, these defunct gym machines now exist in a state of tension between failure and resilience.

Adam Belt’s Phase Form sculptures are cubic blocks of translucent polyurethane resin. With a keen interest in natural forces, Belt’s sculptures intellectually address the visible electromagnetic spectrum and romantically embrace enigmatic atmospheric phenomena. The pristine surfaces draw viewers in to examine subtle color shifts of sunset orange, frosty blue, or shadowy gray. Each rectilinear object seems to contain an idiosyncratic microclimate in a state of flux: freezing, evaporating, or igniting.

In the Guided by Voices song Watch me Jumpstart front man Bob Pollard sings, “X marks the spot, I can’t pretend to be something I’m not.” These lyrics seem to encapsulate the exact and sincere sentiment of Albert Contreras’ thick acrylic “X” paintings. Working with goopy puddles of color atop a monochromatically painted wood panel, Contreras swipes two crisscrossing diagonals that make deep marks in the viscous material.  As the paint dries, his action is recorded and the translucency of the X’s color glows as it optically mixes with the underpainting. This technique of very wet over dry repeated in different colors on different panels creates a series of unique moments – excitement frozen in time to revisit and enjoy.

David Allan Peters’ optically dazzling, all-over color and texture compositions begin quietly and methodically. His honed practice of layering acrylic colors over acrylic colors builds a substantial surface and sets the stage for his rhythmic excavations. Working with blades and tools, Peters cuts and gouges into the painting’s surface to reveal brilliant hues. His relief marks may have a directional formation that implies a flowing movement or they might cluster into a pattern that repeats and spreads across the painting. These works reward close-up viewing where one can examine the intricate cuts that uncover vibrating colors.

Precisely assembled from individual pieces, Zemer Peled’s porcelain sculptures present blooming colors. Shards are strategically grouped according to shape and color to form an overall geometric volume.  There’s a magical transformation – what was once singular, sharp, and hard becomes a soft, organic pedal or wave among many that create captivating cohesive whole. From all sides, up close, and standing back, Peled’s sculptures radiate a sense of tranquility and awe that seems to draw from nature’s beauty and the human spirit.

The Harris Gallery is located across from the Abraham Campus Center at 2000 Second Street on the La Verne campus. For more information, please visit https://artsci.laverne.edu/art/exhibition or contact Dion Johnson djohnson@laverne.edu or 909.593.3511 x 4383

University of La Verne | 1950 Third Street | La Verne, California | 91750