Off-Campus Professional Art Show

     

Fenced in Rust and Dust, Acrylic, collage, oil, paper, inkjet print, dirt on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       While currently working on my own artist statement, I realized that the most consistent aspect of my work is the use of color. Luke Ahern also seems to let color play a large role in his work in the exhibit Fences and Courts. This immediately caught my eye and intrigued me to the point of me wanting to touch every piece almost like I needed to feel the colors he used.

Fenced in Rust and Dust (Close Up), Acrylic, collage, oil, paper, inkjet print, dirt on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern,
 Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       I walked around looking at the work without knowing his intentions for the pieces, or his inspiration. I actually didn't even read the title of the show until I had finished looking at every piece. I was looking so closely at an image when my friend pointed out that they were supposed to mimic fences. I was so caught up in the color, texture, and different collage elements that I was unaware of the subject of the pieces. I was looking at every piece very specifically, almost as if they were just a bunch of diamond shapes with different collages or patterns inside, as opposed to one whole collective piece.

Fenced in Bleach and Toothpaste, Silicone, oil stick, acrylic, wood glue, eraser shavings, collage, enamel, crayon on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

Fenced in Bleach and Toothpaste (Close Up 1), Silicone, oil stick, acrylic, wood glue, eraser shavings, collage, enamel, crayon on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

Fenced in Bleach and Toothpaste (Close Up 2), Silicone, oil stick, acrylic, wood glue, eraser shavings, collage, enamel, crayon on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       I believe this is one of the greatest visual affects his work has. It can be viewed as a whole piece, looking at the balance between the foreground and background, or you can get as close as you want to the work and see the different elements and techniques that he used. Without both elements the piece would seem incomplete because they need to make the viewer switch their eyes back and forth to each section. His work seems so simple to make, yet probably took him hours to perfect.

Selected Works on Paper, Mixed media on handmade paper and Rives BFK (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       He stated that most of the inspiration for his work is raising his mixed race family, images of activism based on racial tension, and identity. I believe that this goal is shown very well in his work. The playfulness of his work makes me believe his children are younger, along with the cartoon like imaging and use of colorful papers or bright colors. On the other hand, the use of the chainlink fences blocks everything in and shows the tension that he references, and the images of mugshots or other people show hardship and wrongdoing.

Selected Works on Paper (Close Up 1), Mixed media on handmade paper and Rives BFK (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       He says he spends most of his day within a playground that has a fence, which then makes him think about prison fences, or a basketball court, and then thinking about the municipal court. While these two ideas are on opposite ends of the spectrum, I think he does a great job of making his work viewable from each end, or both at the same time. You could bring children into the exhibit to look at his work and they would love it for the sole fact that it has so many different areas to look at and examine, but an adult could view the meaning and history behind the pieces.

Selected Works on Paper (Close Up 2), Mixed media on handmade paper and Rives BFK (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

For me, the first image that popped in my head after realizing he painted a fence over most of the pieces, was a lower income area with a playground that is somewhat deserted, but just the few children playing and not having a care in the world. Why did this image pop in my head, I'm really not sure. I probably remember it from a movie or T.V. show, but I believe that is what the artist is wanting you to do, view these and think back to a specific time you remember experiencing, or have seen in your lifetime.

Fenced in Pink and Hurt, Solid marker, enamel, silicone, crayon, acrylic, inkjet collage on canvas (2016), Luke Ahern,
Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

       My favorite piece by far is Fenced in Pink and Hurt because it is such a contradiction. To me, pink is the best color to ever exist, so I associate it with happiness and everything wonderful, but when he adds, and Hurt, to his title, it makes me wonder why he chose this piece and why he made the decisions he did. He is really making the audience think about his work and his experiences by making pieces like this one, because I still can't fully understand the it's meaning.

Fenced in Pink and Hurt (Close Up), Solid marker, enamel, silicone, crayon, acrylic, inkjet collage on canvas (2016),
Luke Ahern, Merwin and Wakeley Galleries

I left the show very pleased and wanting to see more of his work. If you visit the show, you will see that you can buy some of the work that was displayed from the show, which I was very tempted to do. If you love color, texture, and the use of found objects or recycled materials, I highly recommend going to see this show while they still have it! It made me re-evaluate why I love art and how I can make my own artwork better by doing what visually looks right to me!