Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
“Cucumbers” by Sophie HorowitzThe last two Senior Exhibit pairs at the List this semester incorporate paintings, drawings, sculpture, installation and photography work. Via online interviews, the artists shared their thoughts on art, inspiration, and their work to be exhibited. Kira Grennan and Anna Ghublikian’s exhibit will open in the List on May 16, while Amy DiBiase and Sophie Horowitz’s exhibit will open on May 23.
Anna Ghublikian’s work this year will feature booking making. “I see making art as taking images of objects that already exist in the world as such, and applying a gesture to them,” explained Ghublikian. “These gestures range from smears of paint, to stitches of thread, to cuts from an x-acto knife…. I want people to consider the gesture and how that changes what they see.”
Ghublikian credits figure drawing Professor Anda Dubinkis with teaching her about the importance of the gesture (“my work was pretty boring before I realized the importance of that act”) as well as Randy Exon and Jessica Todd Harper. Ghublikian points to Marcel Duchamp’s influence in her work particularly in “Pharmacy.”
Kira Grennan’s exhibit makes use primarily of still life with some figurework to explore the possibilities of form. “I enjoy looking at artists who tread the line between representation and abstraction of form,” Grennan explained, citing Richard Diebenkorn, Gwen John, Euan Uglow, and Edouard Vuillard among her influences.
“Popcorn” by Sophie Horowitz“I have thought about ways in which to translate my observations of objects in my studio to two-dimensional simplified forms… I found the tension between observation and imagination particularly challenging.” Grennan hopes to encourage viewers to similarly consider space relationship and form. “I would like people to think about how architectural forms interact with and play off of the smaller ‘inhabiting’ objects.”
Sophie Horowitz is also interested in the still life with a special emphasis on compositional possibility. “I’ve been thinking a lot about time and repetition. Painting a group of similar objects several times, over several panels, can be read either as a larger group of objects, or as the same group of objects moving through time. I like that ambiguity, and its potential to convey both graphic and narrative ideas.”
“Peanuts” by Amy DiBiaseHorowitz has turned to artist Wayne Thiebaud for inspiration in repetition and Fairfield Porter for his “incredible commitment to observation.” Richer observation is one of the things she would like viewers to take away from her work: “I hope people will think about how they look at objects, and what the might notice if they looked harder or in a different way.”
Amy DiBiase explores the “narratives of organic forms” in her sculptural relief and drawing work. Her interest in relief specifically, encouraged by considering the work of Giacomo Manzu and Antonio Lopez-Garcia, came from the realization that it was so rarely represented in contemporary art. Like Horowitz, she is interested in the possibility of elapsed time.
“Orange” by Amy DiBiase“I tried to use the multi-panel relief format to show elapsing time, and most of my work looks at organic forms as they pass through time. They are also an exploration of organic forms, and look at exteriors versus interiors in terms of form, weight, and texture.”
List Gallery hours are Saturday through Monday from 12-5pm, each opening reception begins at 4 on Friday.
