FIG Artists in Lure

Lure: all is not what it seems is the current exhibit at the Mesa College Art Gallery in San Diego, California. FIG members Susan Myrland and Alessandra Moctezuma were involved, Susan as guest curator and Alessandra as Gallery Director for the gallery on the college campus. The exhibit opened last week and continues through February 27. FIG members Stephanie Bedwell and Moya Devine have work in the show, and Anna Stump was involved in the opening with her group Mid-Air Trio (Stump as painter, Joyce Rooks as composer, and Natalia Valerdi as dancer), which performed that night, despite the weather.

Myrland's statement starts with a description of seduction: From the Siren songs of Anthemoessa to the ping of an incoming message, humans fall prey to being seduced. Color, light, sound and movement lure us into paying attention. What do we receive in exchange? Are we rewarded and fulfilled, or have we been led astray?

In Lure, 24 artists examine ideas of temptation, attraction, deception, repulsion, satisfaction and satiation. Belief systems are questioned and the curtain is pulled away--or is it? The most powerful seduction is never obvious.

Lure explores new forms of Light and Space art within the framework of the exhibition's theme, accentuating interactivity and engagement. The reception included projections from San Diego artists Moya Devine and Omar Lopex along with performances by Mid-Air Trio plus the international experimental audio collage group Mannlicher Carcano. Video of these performances will be included in the exhibit.

Moya Devine with Kiss during the opening...

Inside the gallery, visitors will find an array of works ranging from the cool, minimalist polish of Kim Garcia's Devoid, which uses lenses and prisms to push the viewer away, calling attention to the loss of intimacy in today's society--to Dave Ghilarducci's interactive Procrastination, a playful look at our blind obedience to technology--to Bret Barrett's dark kinetic sculpture, The Unbearable Uniqueness of Conformity, a piece of pure motion filling the front window of the gallery and referencing, among other things, The Burghers of Calais and Abu Ghraib--to Miri Chais' mesmerizing mirrored Plexiglass sculptures, the Rabbit Holes, shimmering, colorful voyages to imaginary and symbolic places that exist between the virtual world and the natural one.

Stephanie Bedwell inside her piece, Bower...

Lure is a new venture for Mesa College Art Gallery, expanding the gallery's reputation for presenting challenging experimental work by local and national artists.

There is a wide variety of work in the exhibit...

 Artist Moya Devine experiences a selfie in Bedwell's sculptural piece...

 A detail of Bower, by Myrland...

Mid-Air Trio, formed in 2010, improvises in the intersection of three artforms: music, dance and painting. Painter Anna Stump creates live portraits...

as dancer Natalia Valerdi alternately moves and poses.

Composer and timekeeper Joyce Rooks mixes the soundscape in real time.

As Valerdi reads, Stump paints...

with the audience participating in the work with their presence.

The gallery is open Monday-Wednesday, 11-4 PM, and Thursday 11-8 PM. It is closed Fridays, weekends, and school holidays. Susan Myrland will give a curator talk Thursday, February 20, at 11 AM at the gallery. Myrland was pleased that so many FIG members came to support the exhibit and our participating artists. One of the topics we discussed at our last meeting was the support that female artists can bring to each other, and this is evidence of our commitment to that goal, because traffic and weather were not conducive to getting to the opening. If you haven't seen the show, stop by in the next few weeks!

Many thanks to Michael Field, Susan Myrland, Moya Devine, Leah Younker, and Anna Stump for providing info and photos for the exhibit. Both Flickr sites have photos of other artists' work in the exhibit, for those who are interested.