Serena Bocchino: Lyrical Roar November 1st - November 28th
Serena Bocchino (Former ESKFF Resident!) is an American contemporary artist that expresses emotion in her artwork through bright color, bold strokes of paint, and a fluid sense of motion. Her art is almost reminiscent of street graffiti, vibrant colors swirling across solid backgrounds. The abstract nature of her pieces evoke feelings of being at a concert, as jazz music serves as a large inspiration behind her work.
I had the honor of being invited to the solo exhibition “Lyrical Roar” as shown at the Ivy Brown Gallery. At this exhibition Serena had many amazing pieces on display; paintings, hanging sculptures, as well as silk wall hangings, showing her multi-dimensionality as an artist. I was even given the gift of wearing a dress designed and created by her which added a personal touch to my evening! The gallery space was curated beautifully, adding to the overall ambiance. Being able to attend a solo exhibition such as this truly was a meaningful experience for me.
Ever Feel Like Melting? A Sculpture Series By Lily Frank. 2020-2024.
In 2020 I started this sculptural series, with no intention of it really being a series in the long run, originally this was a college sculpture project I completed at SAIC, (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) but as many know it can be quite difficult to keep your work in college, especially if it’s anything three dimensional. These things can be heavy, difficult to carry, delicate, or just too big to keep in your apartment or student housing. In my case, I had used a podium provided by the school that I was not able to take home with me, or even truly carry. With this I decided to detach the figure from the podium, so I could glue it to a wooden canvas, and apply epoxy resin on top, to seal it and add shine. This, in fact, ended up being something that truly had an effect on the final piece.
After moving from Chicago, I drove from the Midwest, to New York, to the West coast in the summer. I chose to take the southern route through the country, (less corn fields more fun) not knowing that in a town called Needles, California the a/c in my car would blow out and die, leaving me and my sculpture to melt in 115 degree heat. This, in fact, was not a massive disaster as it truly added more texture to the piece. The epoxy peeled, the wax melted more in some spots, revealing the red of the paint underneath. It definitely wasn’t exactly what I had planned, I did enjoy how the sculpture looked originally, but sometimes as an artist, things change despite the plan.
With this in mind I decided to create another variation of the piece, without the wax this time, while still attempting to create the feeling of dripping or melting. In this attempt I used the same exact mannequin head, as not to change the face shape, a large circular cardboard tube, a smaller inner tube to support a cardboard circle cutout in the middle which held the head, as well as acrylic pour paints. I originally thought about using another podium, but something inside me chose not to as it would again run into the issue of being too heavy to transport often. I also decided against using the resin, as over time resin becomes yellow, and I truly didn’t want it to peel off of the form again as it had in the first version of the piece although it had added an interesting texture.
As an artist it’s always reaffirming to revisit old subject matter, to think about how you could re-work or recreate something, maybe not exactly as it was the first time, but different and new in interesting ways. I believe every artist should at some point in their time of making things, look backwards at the items they’d spent so much time and effort on in the past and ruminate on them. It truly can be a very cathartic experience.
Dia Visit- Beacon 2024
On Friday, January 5th, 2024 I visited the Dia museum in Beacon! Although unassuming from the outside, with its slightly modest brick exterior, the inside harbors amazing treasures. With a clear focus on abstraction, the space pulls you forwards, enticing you in. Walking throughout the halls of Dia sends you on a journey through many worlds. With its large cavernous, clean white rooms, you can really focus on the art. It is clear with their usage of the space and the gleaming white paint that the main focus is the work, the way it's usually centered right in the middle of the large space. It truly is a joy to walk through this museum! If you ever happen to be in Beacon I recommend visiting!
INTER_IAM; wINTERverse Interactive Experience - Jan 2024
This past week I was able to participate in the Interactive art experience by INTER_IAM. The wINTERverse really was amazing! I've never personally gone to an interactive art show such as this. The way they intertwined practical art with technology was impressive, and the amount of interactivity in the spaces really proves to provide the viewer a personal experience and the feeling of actually effecting the space. With most art shows and events, you know you are not allowed to touch most of the art, (Unless specifically told so) where as here, most if not all things are available for you to physically manipulate. If you are able to this winter, I recommend visiting and enjoying yourself at this introspective art event!