BFA Visual & Critical Studies presents “Somewhere,” an exhibition featuring the work of three emerging artists working with the notions of place—of “somewhere”— in their work. The exhibition runs from Tuesday, June 13, through Friday, June 30, with an opening reception on Tuesday, June 13, 6:00 – 8:00pm.

The delicately rendered pencil drawings of Alex Mayer (BFA Fine Arts), present complex tableaus of human interactions in landscapes as well as in interior spaces. Dream-like narratives are implied, open to interpretation and quietly unsettling. The large scale photos of Sang Eun (BFA Photography) make monumental and emotional the subject matter of rocks and trees. The texture of a stone becomes skin; portrait-like, these photographs connect us to the natural world in a way that reminds us that we are always simultaneously participant and observer. The paintings of Misato Sakamoto (BFA Visual & Critical Studies) are each a small universe, somewhere wonderful and magical, delicately layered and infused with light. Each painting is a careful balancing act between pattern and place, the macro and the micro, engaging the viewer with their jewel-like presence.

The artists have prepared the following statements about their work:

“For me, space has feelings as well as forms and colors: air, trees, rocks, everything around

me – and that infuses the work with meaning. Landscape painters and photographers represent the earth, sky and the condition of gravity in comprehensive detail, however, my photographs remove enough—in a structural sense— to convey my experiences of an inner landscape.” –Sang Eun

“…these drawings are never planned out, and they are constantly being changed as I am drawing them. They grow, then some limbs die, they grow some more, then a house is born, the roof of the house dies, one vertical wall becomes a tree, one character's leg becomes another character's arm. In the end all of the characters are the protagonist, as they all sprouted from its existence. Every face is the protagonist’s face, and the protagonist's face is unconsciously my own.” –Alex Mayer

“My work is very much about intimacy. I feel that I can become more intimate with my paintings when I return to them after some time has passed, more so than at that moment when I was painting—or just finished painting—them. I feel as if my painting is a good friend who knows me well...this exhibition is an opportunity to introduce my friends to someone new.” –Misato Sakamoto

This exhibition has been curated by BFA Visual & Critical Studies faculty member Peter Hristoff (BFA 1981 Fine Arts).

For further information, contact the artists at:

amayer3@sva.edu

msakamoto1@sva.edu

heun5@sva.edu

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