Local look: chico
MUSINGS ON THE CHICO ART SCENE
So much of the nature of my work has always been remote. I am unable to visit every single piece I research and write about. As a college instructor, I am not holding my classes in large museums, lecturing to students while standing next to the original work or strolling through ancient ruins. So much of my senses are left out in this process, which is why I was ecstatic to see “Dream State” in person last week. If you are nerdy enough, you can smell the materials. Don’t get too close to take a sniff, but the air wafts metallic around the bronzes and the hint of a musty, overcrowded artist’s studio emanates from a painting, all a beautiful part of the experience. I can imagine my fingers running over the incisions, raised and removed concentric circles, and slick surfaces of Zen Du’s Suspended Animation series. Every ripple and crinkle of Dana Mano-Flank’s Dawn at Sea has more presence, casts shadows, takes up real space. “Dream State” is hardly uniform in mood. There is the colorful surrealism harkening Salvador Dali with Ocular by Judith Johnson. Playful reflections and fantasy in a pastel palette are present in Zoey Rosenthal’s Where the Treasure Lies. Light-hearted, enigmatic and pretty like the best of what dreams can be. Not all is pleasant, however. Reaching for the Sky feels rather sanguine, echoing Argento horror films with the blood-red stain and drips. Marlis Jermutus’ large mustard and ketchup-colored composition translates as eerily beautiful and borders on nightmares. Arthur Lemner’s drawings, with angler fish and fierce, snarling beasts, add a necessary macabre element. Richard Whitehead’s Diagram of a Dream speaks in a language both familiar and unintelligible. A poem floats to the side of a diagram, and the impact delivers as much energy as a math teacher’s enthusiastic scribblings on a chalkboard. This is what I imagine my math genius brother dreams of. My dreams are more aligned with the many art historical references in the show. The aforementioned Dali, An Elusive Venus of Willendorf by Lemner, and Johnson’s Realms has a Byzantine Virgin Mary mosaic reborn in an acrylic triptych. A whole gallery is devoted to the work of Maria Alquilar (much of which was recently acquired by the museum collection). The New York-born artist moved after the death of her husband to Northern California, spending many years (off and on) in the Sacramento area. Her work is housed in collections such as the Crocker Art Museum and Smithsonian Institution. monca Executive Director, Pat Macias, was inspired to create an exhibition based on dreams upon “observing Alquilar’s mystical and very dream-like, detailed images.” The pieces are decoded somewhat in the label-text, opening a window into Alquilar’s stylized visual language. I recommend seeing in person, if you can, Dreamstealers, which towers over most visitors and enchants with mixed media, including twinkling LED lights. “Dream State” and “New Acquisitions: The Work of Maria Alquilar” are on view through March 28th. Visit their website for more information.
Not able to attend, they have you covered. See their virtual tour!
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AuthorSara Smallhouse is tenure-track faculty in Art History at Butte College, teaches every once in a while at CSU, Chico, and is on the Board of Directors of monca (Museum of Northern California Art). She likes to walk around and look at things with her family, friends, or solo. Archives
February 2022
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