biola university art department
BFA 2016-17 catalog
Alexander Sarina You Oceans Both Painting alex.c.sarina@gmail.com alexsarina.com
The ocean covers the vast majority of Earth. Yet despite being the largest entity on the surface of the planet, the watery deep is largely unexplored and unseen by surface dwellers. I am interested in heterotopias, or “other spaces.” Spaces removed from daily life where disparity breaks down and contradiction exists without hostility. The ocean is a fitting metaphor for such spaces. The deep is so otherly from the surface it seems like an alien world. This reality is seen in the denizens of the deep resisting the language and rules established on the surface. In the deep fauna and flora are often too closely allied to readily distinguish them. Many deep ones have adapted to embrace contradiction, being both male and female, sexual and asexual. You Oceans Both provides an opportunity to discover and explore another space. Dive in to experience the complexity and mystery of the both/and.
Elaina Swanson Goodness Gracious Painting elainasart@gmail.com elainaswanson.com
Goodness Gracious is a collection of inquiries and confessions surrounding the sincerity of expressing emotions. I draw from my own experiences as a young woman where youth and girlishness have been self-imposed emotional barriers and weaknesses as well strengths and attributes. I couple kitsch and popular culture imagery with High-Church and high-art motifs into romantic relationships to bring them both to the same level of genuine affirmation inside of my own visual lexicon. I labor with each piece, cutting, pasting, painting and altering in order to convey change as well an internal complexity, allowing both myself and the work to be enthus- iastically complicated. I wield the cliché of the over-used and over- played to reclaim sincerity; to send a love letter to the things and people I adore in the only way that I know how.
ADAM NIENOW Intersection Design adam.p.nienow@gmail.com adampnienow.myportfolio.com I find fragmentation and deconstruction in architectural ideas. These pieces push dimensional and reality based concepts. Digitally projected animations intersecting onto a static sculpture allows the viewer space to sit between opposing dimensions. The use of 2D, 3D, and 4D spaces in this work are outlets of thinking and viewing the digital and physical world. This work hopes to allow the viewer space to sit between multiple dimensions. Architectural characteristics are dissected and reconstructed to be viewed in a different way than is used to.
Blake Vallotton Pretty Pleas Design blakevallotton@gmail.com www.bvallotton.com
Much like most, my adolescence was a strange mix of anxiety and anticipation within small town suburbia. The internal trials of growing up often left me desiring to be an adult. The nighttime street quickly became a sanctuary for me to find an escape. Being in that space allowed for enlightenment and understanding. The pleas for adulthood were subdued by the church choirs of passing cars, the patched concrete that mimicked stained glass windows, and the melodic prayers under my breath that were muffled out by the sound of my skateboard. Now, I often find myself slipping into day dreams of that simpler season and wishing I could go back. In hindsight, my past anxieties were trite; yet somehow seemingly beautiful in their simplicity. The suburban night is still my place of escape, but now it is filled with the plea for youth. This tension is the prelude for the work of Pretty Pleas.
Soren Iverson Quality Content Design soren.t.iverson@gmail.com www.soreniverson.com
The internet changed. A space meant for connection and knowledge holds a new function. People now populate this intangible space with memes, viral content and “news” that is almost instantly forgotten. Tim Berners-Lee, we have failed you. As a prophet of the digital era, I frantically attempt to immortalize the meaningless artifacts of the internet. My struggle is constant and inherently unattainable, but I will carry on. I digress. People of Earth, I present to you, Quality Content.
Brianna LaFrance A Fellow Feeling Design
www.briannalafrance.com www.blafrance-design.com
in my relationships i absorb the emotions of others. the emotions feel like they have originated within myself, blurring the boundaries between my own experiences and secondhand accounts. this transfer is manifested in my work. each object has no choice but to accept both the kindness and stress i apply to the material, mimicking the way i receive the feelings of those i am in relationship with. there is a cycle. i receive then give to the objects. the objects receive and now have possession of my hyper-sensitive response. in ex- periencing these relationships, others enter into this process alongside me.
Michelle Lum Sacramentality Sculpture michellelumstudio@gmail.com A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible reality. Every aspect of the world can be called sacramental; there is a sacredness to be found within every tangible element. One can find a sacredness present even in the simple and mundane. These works illustrate a perception of the ordinary as everyday sacraments. I make sculptures that highlight the aspects through which I see a divine presence in the world. Through meditating on the physical elements of well-known sacraments, I explore the tension between the surface mundaneness and the deeper significance found within such objects. In these ordinary materials—wood, found objects, and sounds—I explore how the sacramental manifests itself in everyday life. By transforming certain aspects of these materials, I seek to show this sacramental reality while still recognizing these objects as ordinary.
Krystyny Vandenberg Ekklesia Painting krystynyv@gmail.com
My work consists of paintings and drawings portraying people as I see them—from the back. I have always placed myself in the world in the back of places—I always sit in the back of classrooms, in church, and in any crowd. Being slightly removed from people in this way, I’m able to observe and take in my surroundings in a quiet and unassuming way. My role as an artist and as someone who is drawn to these quiet places is to be an observer. I look at the people around me which is so often friends and colleagues, and I paint or draw them in my own sort of iconography, noticing their complex, fragile, and dynamic relationships with each other and with me. By abstracting them, I draw attention to the idea of these relationships, all while venerating the people by putting them in an empty and flat sacred space thus creating a sort of quiet reverence for them.
Megan Van Vlear Reinventing the Mousetrap Design megan@meganvanvlear.com meganvanvlear.com
This body of work is a celebration of and reflection on human creativity. I build upon the ingenuity of those who came before me as I invent something potentially new and innovative. Many of these inventions exist in the world of the absurd as often ideas do when in the brainstorming stage. This is the space in which logic and imagination play a game of push and pull of powers. The inventions in this series are neither entirely reasonable nor ridiculous. It has been my experience that to some degree, all of my thoughts operate in this way. Thus, the presence of a human being who is constantly caught between this negotiation between the logical and imaginative is essential to this stage of invention. In this work, I recognize an attribute of one inanimate object and apply it to another object to give the latter new meaning and purpose. This combination is my way of participating in the communal and ancient act of building upon the innovation of my fellow human beings.
Jessica Dueker Taken From the Day. A Space Beyond This. Painting jessicaduekerartist@gmail.com www.jessicadueker.com
The passage of time is difficult to see, draw, or read. Art has helped transform the difficulty of ‘time’ into a physical form, becoming a way to illustrate my thought process—an outlet for communicating my thoughts and feelings. These works are mental maps of contemplative moments through my personal lens, presented through obscured image and text. The forms are created through a process that reflects my internal state of mind, becoming a safe space to collect my thoughts and document the passage of time. I use found books, of no particular subject, to create new poems from the words within. I connect the words together using “black bubbles”. These are the forms now seen before you. These “black bubbles” are my contributions to conversations I could never have. I am interested in the new conversations the “black bubbles” can start. My inability to say what is on my mind becoming the generator for exchanges beyond my control.
Michael Hallman Mountains & Meadows Photography michaelchallman@gmail.com
I see my practice as an intersection between past and present, emphasizing on the ephemeral. To justify my person- al experiences yet yielding respect to the significance of the present. My work suggests the importance of apprecia- tion—and the landscape it surrounds—us- ing film photography to document subtle moments in nature. With a constant urge to be back where I once was, I give up those inclinations in knowing I’ll be back someday. This idea of separa- tion and reconvergence is shown through places I’ve recently spent time at, using a medium format camera to docu- ment my time among Mountains & Meadows. I firmly believe this is not the end of my ever growing passion for untouched places, but the beginning.
Zechariah Liszewski XXXIII Photography zechariahliszewski@gmail.com zechariahliszewski.com
This body of work journals the camera-to- figure relationship within photography. The photographs are ephemera of daily meditations. The long exposure of the paper and methodical process activates thoughtful space. This self-portraiture is used not only to examine oneself but also highlights the strengths and weakness found in the medium of photography. Embracing the limitations of self-portraiture in photography corresponds to embracing the limitations and reality of oneself.
Andres De Alba Wander Without Design dealbaandres@gmail.com
The unconscious mind houses your ticks, habits, fears, imagination, and re- pressed memories. It is, in short, what makes you, you. The unconscious mind is perpetually trying to communi- cate something about ourselves to us. I translate these messages by drawing as free flowing and rapidly as possible. I translate thoughts onto paper as I have them in that moment. In this process I allow myself to wander my mind with- out expectation, logic, or rational. Through my process, I show that imag- ination and logic can co-exist. That being imaginative or creative isn’t a practice that we should stop at an adolescent age. Likewise, mature logic doesn’t have to limit one’s imagination or mindfulness. Exploring one’s uncon- scious mind should be held with as much importance, if not more, as logic is in today’s society.
Shelby Hands 326 Dots Per Inch Photography shandsphoto@gmail.com www.shelbyhands.photography This work aims to identify the intersections between traditional photographic practice and modern photography. With the rise of widespread image sharing through social media, the intrinsic value of traditionally executed compositions has steadily decreased. By working with a hybrid of digital photography and darkroom processing, I hope to bridge the gap between ‘just another photo,’ and a comprehensive work of art. My photographs are all taken with a digital camera, then transferred onto my smart phone, where I invert the colors, essentially turning them into film negatives. I utilize the darkroom printing process by projecting the ‘digital negative’ from my smart phone’s screen down onto light sensitive photo paper. From there, I run the paper through the chemical and drying process that traditional film photographs are printed through. This combination of modern and historic process presents an intriguing composite of classic Eighteenth Century Romanticism, and the unrefined snapshots that are captured today.
Caisey James Common Access Design cljames4@hotmail.com The military brat lifestyle is a largely invisible subculture in America. Growing up in that subculture has given me access to specific terminology that has influenced the way that I understand the world around me. By using a form of communication known as Tap Code, I create these forms as a way to explore divergent interpretations of things that I experience in both my military and civilian subcultures, taking words that are common to civilians and “coding” them to fit their military definition. Tap Code: a system of communication mainly used by POWs consisting of a 5x5 grid of the alphabet (the letters C and K are used synonymously). Each letter is communicated by tapping the number of the row, then the number of the column the letter is found in.
Destiny Gough Lost in Translation Painting gough.d.n@gmail.com www.destinygoughstudio.space
I often reflect on untranslatable and obscure feelings and experiences of mine. I cannot truly articulate the sensation with ease with the English words that I know. I cannot simply tell someone that I am sad or happy –– I feel much more than that. I can feel happy as well as furious, and dreadfully sad but still hopeful. Observing my community, I have discovered that I am not alone. Many people I know want to share these mutual experiences with just a short phrase or word but are lacking the terminology. I have discovered that other languages have cultural words that describe some of these abstruse feelings. I have taken a few of these words to describe these difficult feelings and interpret their meanings through a process of water marbling alongside gestural drawings.
Catherine Li Subconscious Storage Design www.catherinekli.com There is something so beautiful to me about the fleeting thoughts and ideas that exist in the subconscious realm- -ideas I have forgotten to recognize or contemplate because they are only active in the hours I am asleep. This body of work acts as a storage space for things I have encountered in my subconscious state. I seek to create an experience for my viewer that lends a glimpse into this space that only I have access to. Within this space, a multitude of organic forms and colors exist, representing people, places and feelings. It was my intention to capture and replicate these dream-state flowing figures to uncover deeper truths and ideas about myself and those around me. This is ultimately reflective of my introspective nature with the intention of taking part in more thoughtful dreaming. Through these paintings, I welcome myself and others to interact with these subconscious characters in a conscious state.
Tom Li Absent Minded Photography tforrestphotography@gmail.com
Sometimes I recognize the moment the conversation going on becomes a back- ground. I feel that moment of absence is rather attractive when we look at it from our own perspectives. Realizing the distraction from our everyday con- versations, finding the missing pieces lost in words, and catching our moments of being absent minded, would rather bring you closer to reality. Capturing the time one has strayed from, I took my DLSR camera to the street and re- corded what I found in people’s lives they treasure. In these photos, you can find that the main perspective is stray - ing away from their conversation, cur- rent situation, and present surround- ings. Could you find yourselves in these photos?
Hope Daley Rot in Ecstasy
Interdisciplinary hdaley09@gmail.com www.hopedaley.com
Step 1: Never enough -- until you get what you want. “I want it, I can have it”. You will never get what you want. Buy several, it’s cheaper. Put them in storage. The Absurdity Team has its own storage unit. It is Las Vegas gold. The team always tries. It is the effort, the effort to make a thing look good - whether or not it was achieved. Teams impulsively need to preserve with no clear objective. Keep doing it. Step 2: Absurd nostalgia is ecstasy. Even with orange paint the pumpkin will rot. Freeze it. Cover in plastic, plastic does not rot. Keep memories from rotting, they are your life. Try. The team tries. It causes semantic confusion for a moment. It is the looking and relooking, for a moment. “Bizarre” and “ambiguous” incite relooking. In confusion there is a pause, there is also fake grass. Pause and find alternative solace, alternative solution, alternative grass.
Juliette Inocelda (Un)usual Interdisciplinary juliette.a.inocelda@gmail.com www.julietteinocelda.com
Oddity and wonder can be found anywhere, even the seemingly usual. In this body of work, I want to invite viewers to see the quotidian through a different lens. Converting unsuspecting and often forgotten objects into spaces of intrigue is my attempt to encourage more curiosity. Taking a closer look might render the usual as anything but.
Kira Bester As Above / So Below Design kirabester@gmail.com www.kirabester.com Finding significance in the neglected. Assigning validity to the fantastical. Reveling in the unanswerable.
Amy Geiken As Above / So Below Interdisciplinary amy.geiken@gmail.com www.geikena.com Finding significance in the neglected. Assigning validity to the fantastical. Reveling in the unanswerable.
Adrianna Coe Threshold Painting adriannacoe.com adriannacostudio@gmail.com The places we call home are not always found in a house or an apartment. Rath- er, the idea of home often manifests itself in a variety of unusual places. Home does not have to be anything more than a secluded corner to work, or a coffee shop to linger in for a couple of hours a day. The places where we make our homes are innately tied to sense of belonging, comfort, and peace. As life progresses, the places we call home may evolve and change, but the memories that they hold, shape who we are and stay forever at the threshold of our minds. Threshold is a glimpse into just a few of the places I have called home. Some of these places are shared pub- lic spaces, filled with others who are also looking for a place of belong- ing. While other spaces are known only to myself and those closest to me. My home has never been a singular location or space. Rather, I have made my home in these places filled with belonging, comfort, and peace.
Avery Anton No Ordinary Man Design averyanton@gmail.com averyanton.com Every human is unique. We are made up of the same things, yet we are dis- tinct. We tend to long for commonal- ity and through our differences we find how we relate to others. Knowing this changes the way I look at and perceive people. One of the people that communicate this best in my opinion is C.S. Lewis. He said that, “there is no ordinary man.” He knew that people mattered. This work further connects my emotions to this phrase through my meditation on people. This is reflected through my pieces, with each one being made with a similar process, yet they all have their own unique outcomes by the way the material and chemicals interact.
Devan Carpentier They Can Accept (Unscathed) Painting devan.carpentier@gmail.com devancarpentier.com
These two sided panels highlight the relationship between calculated and arbitrary. One side consists of reasoned, precise application of dye on canvas in a grid representative of information encrypted into binary code. The other demonstrates the arbitrary forms and colors created once the dye is out of the artist’s control. The duality questions the link between coded language and intuitive or arbitrary decisions. The encrypted information is sourced from a historical book of telegraph codes. Used to reduce the length of telegrams in order to save money, this book connects a single word to a common phrase. The correlation between phrase and code word is entirely random, without thought to possible conversation between the two. Searching through these combinations and intentionally choosing those with interesting relationships I highlight the contrast between encryption and chance, and the poetic possibilities therein.
Melanie Kim I Was Never on the Boat Interdisciplinary As a 3rd generation Korean-American in Southern California, I grew up between Korean and mainstream white culture. Though I learned to move fluidly between cultures, I feel a lack of cultural qualifications to be identified as a traditional member of either. And so I cling to moderately Asian pop-culture to balance my Asian-American identity, drawing almost exclusively from my childhood. Coming to terms with my racial identity has been awkward. Being third generation, I am the most Americanized of my family, and in some ways the “least Korean.” At the same time, my childhood is associated with tension—being Asian among white peers—which made me stop wanting to be Korean in public. Further complicating these frustrations is the lack of available cultural definitions for what it looks like to be Asian- miss.melanie.kim@gmail.com www.melaniekim.photography American, much less Korean-American. This body of work explores these feelings of inadequacy in both Korean and American contexts, as I to strive to find socially acceptable ground for Asian-American identity in pop-culture.
Savannah Morra Kith and Kin Sculpture savannahmorra@gmail.com savannahmorra.com
In different seasons of growth, throughout my life, God has brought in different people to be my community and my family. These relationships have supported and encouraged me as I have grown into the woman I am today. This body of work is an expression of my connection to these core individuals and was created in collaboration with them to represent the valuable and even necessary role relationships play in our lives. Each sculpture embodies a specific grouping of people, and my choices of fabric, color, size, and design for the structure was inspired by my relationship with the individuals represented. The participants were invited into the creation process through loose instruction but were given freedom to (and even encouraged to) disregard the directions and express their own creativity. Their participation in this project created the patterned fabrics on each form, and are representations of the unique mark left on my life.
Green art Gallery The Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery presents a program of rotating contemporary art exhibitions on the campus of Biola University. Located in the greater Los Angeles area, the Green Art Gallery is well positioned to represent a vital Christian worldview within the critical dialogue of contemporary visual art and to produce engaging exhibitions that grapple with issues concerning the intersection of faith with art and culture. The Green Art Gallery also provides professional development opportunities for Biola art students through gallery exhibitions and internships. www.Biola.edu/ArtGallery
Art Department The Biola University Department of Art creates an academic environment that thrives on the interrelationship of biblical Christianity and artistic practice. It offers students a professional visual arts program with a rigorous curriculum that reflects a strong liberal arts emphasis and a solid Christian worldview. The Biola art program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). www.Biola.edu/Art
BFA Program The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree in Art is the professional undergraduate degree that is highly desired by serious students intent on pursuing careers or advanced degrees in the visual arts. The program is designed to give art students flexibility to choose from one of five emphases: design, painting, photography, sculpture, or interdisciplinary. Design integrates a fine arts perspective into a curriculum that emphasizes conceptual thinking and develops technical proficiency in a variety of areas including print- based graphic design, web design and motion graphics. Painting embraces traditional and non-traditional approaches to drawing and painting while engaging students in current discourses within the discipline. Photography focuses on integrating the skills of black and white darkroom techniques with contemporary digital color practices to produce conceptually driven, photo-based art. Sculpture equips students to think creatively while developing proficiency in a variety of three-dimensional fabrication techniques including additive and subtractive processes, modeling, carving, mold-making and casting. The Interdisciplinary emphasis allows students flexibility in developing a custom art curriculum that blends upper-level studio courses from multiple disciplines.
All artwork images provided by the artist; used by permission. Book design and layout by Chad Swanson. Cover image/design by Chad Swanson. Spring 2017 B.F.A. (exhibition catalog). Copyright © 2017 Biola University Art Department All rights reserved. Published through Issuu.com Biola University Art Department 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, CA 90639 562.903.4807 • www.Biola.edu/Art
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