If you call yourself a student at St. Lawrence University, you should take a break from your studies and go destress in this new exhibition. The Richard F. Brush Art Gallery has had many shows over the years, but this one caught my eye- one of the reasons being that it is by our own professor Sarah Knobel. Just so you know, there are bean bags and good smells involved in this exhibition, so if you have never checked out the gallery, or even if you frequent it, be sure to stop by and relax.
Knobel discussed her show at the gallery opening and talked about how while most people tell her this show makes them feel relaxed and calm, she was driven to create these works from a place of anxiety and stress. This show is unlike any of the other digital art she has done in the past; for this show, she came at her work from a very different place. It was a place full of self-consciousness and anxiety, a place that allowed her to reimagine her artistic process. The goal of this show is not to answer your questions, but rather to awaken more and encourage reflection.
If you find yourself coming away from this exhibition with more questions than answers, Knobel has accomplished her goal. She has taken mundane objects like foil and plastic bags and made them seem extraterrestrial through an exploratory digital process. This may strike you as strange, even pointless, but stepping into the gallery is like stepping into a wormhole. People say they could feel the stress melting away. Ironically, this work is a manifestation of anxiety and self-consciousness, but, then again, maybe it isn’t as ironic as it seems because this exhibition seeks to juxtapose opposites.
The juxtapositions of reality and imagination, the familiar and the unfamiliar, and the natural and unnatural are all common themes throughout the gallery and “offer playful enquires into the mystery of the ordinary” says Knobel. When it comes to stepping into the gallery itself, these juxtapositions have a calming therapeutic feel to many of the viewers. Questions and answers will bounce around your head.
This exhibition will only be up until April 14, so be sure to stop by to sneak in some time to relax your mind before we all slip into the stress of the weeks leading up to finals. In the small gallery on the left-hand side, there is a dark room that looks closed at first glance but is well worth the trip if you stop in. It’s a mesmerizing show with an extraterrestrial feel.