What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1296127
OCTOBER 11-17, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 9 Maria Molteni (from left) and Randi Shandroski work on a new mural at the Momentary in Bentonville. The design of interweaving braids has both a feminine and cosmic connotation. The depicted five-pointed star can be found in something as little as the seed pattern of an apple core or as large as the transit of Earth and Venus, Molteni says. Molteni is also assisted by Reed Wilson. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo) "What began as a student experiment has become a lifelong exploration into the many meanings and uses of light, both materially and conceptually," reveals artist Iván Navarro. "In this particular case, the use of neon light has to do with optimism. I like to think that you can only read the message of this installation once the neon lights are on. Literally, you can use the expression, 'I see the light at the end of the tunnel,' when you are under the towers to look up. The sensorial combination of visualizing a tunnel leading upwards infinitely with the brilliance of the neon clearly proposes a sensation of transcendence." (Courtesy Image/Iván Navarro and Kasmin Gallery) — both symbolically and biologically as their seeds are so unpredictable and can only be manipulated through external grafting. I appreciate that the apple can further reiterate the lessons of Venus, that there is more than meets the eye — power, attraction and repulsion all wrapped in a nice package." Molteni's painted mural is titled "Venusian Rosaceae (Five Seeded Star)" and draws connections between the core of the apple and the "Dance of Venus" — the description of the five-petaled pattern observed by the planet's transit through the heavens. Both, Molteni shares, are great examples of what many call "sacred geometry." The connection of these two phenomenon felt right for the site at the Momentary, she says. "Venus represents beauty, pleasure and harmony, but also values, relationships, friendships," Molteni reveals. The artist was also compelled to integrate the "Dance of Venus" in the work because it was during the planet's retrograde (a challenging and introspective period in astrology) earlier this year that Molteni was invited to collaborate with the Momentary. "For me, it was clear that the uprisings that broke out during May/ June of this wild and difficult 2020 called upon us to review what we value and how we stand up for it, what we do for other people we care about when some of us are able to live more harmoniously than others, and the work it takes to create peace in an imbalanced society. People do need to be reminded that beauty, kindness and pleasure are not frivolous niceties that come easily. Neither is art!" That concept is also reflected in Navarro's work as he invokes the idea of home and survival. "Mainly my reason to invoke Guthrie's work was to give new meanings to this anthem of the U.S. identity, a song that is very common among people here, very historical as well, but it has never been taken to the contemporary art field," Navarro muses. "When I take a song to make it part of my artwork, I don't use it as 'background music;' this song is the central element of the project, everything else is interconnected through its lyrics. By fusing the image of the water tower with light and the Utopian message of 'This Land Is Your Land,' my intention was to create a symbol of resistance and possibility of inspiration for any seeker, especially for immigrants or the displaced inhabitants of the land."