BEE-yond Blots | Room 404
Manny Cantor Center
Weinberg Center for Balanced Living & SU-CASA
BEE-yond Blots, an exhibition of inkblot and mixed media art, showcases personal narratives taking flight. A vibrant hive of hexagonal panels unites a spectrum of voices, revealing the beauty found in artistic diversity.
“Beyond Blots” is led by Annysa Ng, who is a SU-CASA artists-in-residence. This program is administered by LMCC and supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support is provided by the Tiger Baron Foundation. LMCC.net
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Click on a photo below to explore each piece up close and learn more about the artist and their work.
Artists: Kris Jensen, Chui Chun Lee, Jesse Marsh, Joanne Ng, Ruth Rodriguez, Mike Rosenberg, Margaret Yuen
Imagination knows no bounds for Kris. Starting with a simple inkblot, she astutely pinpoints a nascent form – in this case, a scarab beetle – and through the power of her boundless imagination, inflates this minute detail into an opulent Egyptian gilt, transforming the accidental into the profoundly meaningful.
A colorist, Jeanie masterfully fuses rich palettes in her inkblot creations, upon which she layers collaged imagery with strikingly similar color themes, achieving a seamless visual accord. Within these abstract compositions, a moss or colored drawing acts as a subtle pointer towards her personal interpretation.
Jesse's Transformation unfolds across a hexagonal canvas, from a nascent white bloom to a vibrant red flower, culminating in a butterfly's flight. Internal Nimbus captures the radiant inner beauty, while External Nimbus depicts that inner glow emanating outwards, visualizing the intangible essence of the human spirit.
For Joanne, a passionate traveler, the Dubai Frame evoked a sense of openness, symbolized by the yellow satin backdrop in her work. Layered with inkblots, Joanne's artistic rendering of the Frame transcends its architectural significance, becoming a representation of the human capacity for evolution and healing from mental stresses, a reality she witnessed in her profession within a psychiatric ward.
Ruth's artworks are veritable riddles of tales, often commencing with a spiral – an unfurling path that beckons the eye and imagination inward. Beginning with curvy inkblot traces, figures and narratives emerge, none more captivating than the recurring motif of a princess shrouded in mystery.
Mike's canvases pulse with a raw yet lyrical energy, born from his intuitive brushstrokes. His paintings inhabit a fascinating liminal space, hovering between recognizable subject matter and painterly suggestion. He captures the fleeting feeling and inherent poetry of the moment.
Responding to the fluidity of colors and ink, Margaret’s spontaneous drawings beget an enchanted garden full of birds and blossoms; her subtle asymmetrical additions playfully disrupt the inkblot's symmetry while maintaining an overall sense of harmony.