Sculpture Tucson hosts “Dystopian Dreams”

Sculpture Tucson hosts “Dystopian Dreams”, a collective exhibit from four UA artists. Opening Saturday, May 18th and through the hot summer months in the Post House gallery, “Dystopian Dreams” includes cool engaging works by student artists Valeria Jimenez, Sabrina Mendivil, Larissa Nicole and Eden Squires.

Taught and selected for this exhibition by artist Joseph Farbrook, chair of the 3D and Extended Media department at the University of Arizona, these four artists translate and interpret their visions of changes to the natural world, with a twist. Not the sculptural studies of the past, Extended Media includes the technologies available to artists now, like 3D modeling, lasers, animation, digital fabrication and virtual reality. Future-minded, these works mix science and technology to create a conversation about ecology, psychology, the weather inside our heads and light itself.

Valeria Jimenez comes from an illustration background and had an idea to present an image that could be seen two ways. Her seemingly simple rectangle of mdf wood has 20 vertical pleats, some straight, some curvy, that hide a hidden image, not visible at first glance. This first work with a c & c router shows her technical ability with humor and grace.

A hidden image can be found in “Eroding into the Past” by artist Valeria Jimenez Granados.Sabrina Mendivil, a Nogales, Arizona native, presents “Everything In-Between”, a working title for her bright and floating plexiglass sculpture. An installation artist, creating one-of-a-kind works for specific sites, Mendivil ties the interlocking plexi triangles both above and below with colored or white yarn strands. Between a stopped action explosion of a prism and a Portuguese Man-of-War sea creature, this work commands the space. Mendivil’s other work, “Head in the Clouds”, is a literal fabricated cloud with space available inside for a standing person.

Lyrissa Nicole is a native of Southern California, the original fruit-and-nut land. She experiments with the use of projection mapping to shine colored light on an ongoing concern in agricultural practices. Her three crates of cast and painted apples, bananas and bell peppers glow in unnatural light with discolored light “bruises” dancing on their skins. Is this a sign of pesticides or genetic alterations to foods so prevalent in our first-world community? Nicole’s “Father Time” is a mesmerizing bust reminiscent of ancient sculpture but with a use of light that pulsates and engages the viewer.

Lyrissa Nicole’s “Father Time,” above. Right, her “Genetic Harvest”.Eden Squires presents “Digital Thoughts”, mixing found and fabricated steel and recycled electronics on a fiberglass torso – a 21st -century bust; the found mannikin torso, the head created with a laser scan and mold, the eyeball a projector lens, the cranium open to the world. A steam punk essence of techno reinforcements. Squires’ other work “Good Boy” refers to a four- legged frame carrying an antique airplane radar scan box with a living Moneytree plant bursting through the top. Another mix of nature and technologies, the bent front feet of the frame end in plaster dog’s feet, the back crouching legs end in plaster deer hooves.

Sculpture Tucson is committed to enhancing your experience of this desert community through the beauty and power of the sculptural arts. You can support our efforts by visiting our exhibits, sharing our news and by contributions to help us ensure that the beauty and inspiration of sculpture remain an integral part of Tucson’s cultural landscape. With your help we can continue to enhance spaces both private and public and mentor artistic expression.

All shows are FREE and open to the public.

All works of art are for sale.

Sculpture Tucson is a non-profit organization committed to being a hub for the creation, exhibition, and appreciation of sculpture. Founded in 2015, Sculpture Tucson headquarters and Sculpture Park are located in the historic Post House at 3420 East River Road within Pima County’s Brandi Fenton Memorial Park.