"Senior Exhibitions Showcase Studio Art Major Work," by Sadie Renjilian, The Student Life
The Pomona College senior exhibition at the Pomona Museum of Art is entitled “Viscerreal” and runs May 1-18, with an opening reception May 7. Viscerreal features the work of graduating Pomona seniors Maurissa Dorn, Sydney Dyson, Joaquin Estrada, Jenny He, Jing Jin, and Grace Wielebinski.
Wielebinski's video, "Hunky Dory,"blends colors, shapes, and plant imagery in a collage style, with hints of a skeleton lingering in the background. In her work, Wielebinski is interested in exploring gender and sexuality and their intersections with structures of power.
"Through paint and collage, I aim to create my own personal iconography that both maintains and interrupts these coded images and ultimately fabricates an alternative space of both familiarity and discomfort that allows the viewer to recognize, question, and deconstruct these representations," Wielebinski wrote in her artist statement. "With that in mind, the goal of this project is not to provide definitive answers but rather to raise and interact with some very real questions, both for myself and for my audience."
He's piece, an oil painting on canvas, captures multiple individuals from a perspective that places the viewer into one of the figures in the work. As an artist, He is inspired by photography and examinations into art's ability to distort and change perceptions of a single moment.
"One of my favorite activities as a kid was to go through old photo albums with my family," He wrote in her artist statement. "Something about that glimmer of recognition and familiarity through the haze of reminiscing captivated me. Years later, I still catch myself doing the same thing. In today’s world of saturated media and social networking, we often fail to acknowledge the value of a single photograph ... Through my paintings, I seek to explore the fluidity of memory through the photographs of others.