'Go Figure' 2021 Exhibit - Artists Statements
GO FIGURE! 2021 EXHIBIT CELEBRATES THE HUMAN FORM
The human form has served as muse to artists since the beginning of time. SJIMA's fall 2021 Go Figure! exhibit brought together eight dynamic artists with different backgrounds, art mediums and styles to highlight the human form in an unexpected array of works. The museum’s main Nichols gallery hosted this exhibition, inviting viewers to experience the human body as art – telling stories, expressing emotions, and celebrating what it means to be human through paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces. The artists featured in Go Figure! hail from the greater Pacific NW and Northern California.
In her rich, classical-style paintings, Juliette Aristides, celebrates the beauty of the human spirit through her art. Hers is a career-long love affair with figurative study and tradition. Aristides is the founder of The Gage Academy of Fine Art in Seattle and continues to work as an instructor there.
San Francisco sculptor, Tor Archer, works in metals as well as objects from the natural world, such as branches, rocks, and leaves to sculpt the human form, creating sophisticated, witty works. Drawing inspiration from ancient works he introduces human images integrated with the natural world.
Figurative artist, Frank Gallimore, paints humans in a vivid and storytelling way, often portraying people in culturally significant settings. His paintings reveal the interplay of humans and nature and give voice to the balance of innocence and malice.
Don Haggerty is a painter sharing items from his newest series of works entitled, 'Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth.' He commented, “…there comes a time in the artist’s life when form finally gives way to spirit. And it’s in this spirit that I've begun a new series of work.” Haggerty seeks to capture the shapes of fleeting moments.
Judith Kindler is a multidisciplinary artist, who works in sculpture, photography and photography-based mixed media art, often highlighting the human form in relationship to specific surroundings. Kindler’s images have an ecological logic as she reacts emotionally to the survival of wildlife.
Cathy Locke, who also resides in San Francisco, explores movement in her paintings, many of which feature dancers and the fluid movement of dance. She works with the concept of multi-dimensional space because it represents the way we move through life. Locke stated, “We find ourselves in a state of constant duality, attempting to maintain symmetry within our interchanging movements. In order to express this concept, I purposely use one person in similar poses.”
Mark Kang-O’Higgins is known for his dramatic representational works, portraying the human condition both physically and emotionally in large-scale paintings. He focusses on peak real-life moments and our shared humanity.
Amy Pleasant specializes in figurative paintings that blend seamlessly to abstract-style paintings through her use of mixed media. Nostalgia and family history figure richly in her work. Talking about her art, Pleasant noted, “The … work was rooted in discarded black and white photos found in antique and thrift shops. A focus on the moment before and after the pose revealed a clandestine emotional landscape written on their faces.”