Art of the Month is a recurring feature that highlights the visual arts work of UFV students. In conjunction with the Visual Arts Student Association (VASA), The Cascade chooses the works of multiple artists to be featured each month. To submit your work, please send an image, 50 word bio, 150 word artist statement, and image list with titles, mediums, sizes, and dates of creation (must be within the past year) to artofthemonth@ufvcascade.ca. Limit of three submissions per person, per month.
Selected works may be displayed at The Cascade lounge, in room S2111 of the Abbotsford UFV campus. The deadline for submissions has been extended to November 1.
Doors
By: Emilie Kvist
Plaster and projector
Artist statement:
The idea of a moving sculpture intrigued me with the thought of moving shadows caused by the light from the projector. Therefore, I created my sculpture around the idea of incorporating a lazy susan. As I further thought about the idea of geometric shapes, it made me realize how many of these shapes are created within everyday objects, like doors. The thought that doors are entrances, and also exits, due to however they are determined by its user, perplexed me. Furthermore, this made me question the idea of different paths, different doors, or opportunities. Many times in my life, I have often wondered about these ideas, and also lost opportunities or closed doors. Thus, the idea of making multiple repeated door frames and paths to travel within one piece excited me. I became interested by the collection of Liquefied Rainbow Portraits by Toronto-based artist Brian Donnelly, and therefore chose to use one of his portraits as my first projection. His collection of portraits, also known as melting faces, are beautiful, however, at the same time cause me to feel pain and loneliness. Often during the semester, I become very busy, and spend a lot of time alone studying, which leaves me feeling lonely. The idea of a shut door or an exit makes me feel lonely, as it is symbolic of opportunities lost. For my second projection, I wanted to choose an image that made me feel open to new ideas or choices, as if opening a door. I like to hike, and feel at peace when exploring new trails. I therefore chose a landscape painting called Moon Lake by a member of the Group of Seven, Franklin Carmichael, whose painting style had a similar colour pallet to that of Brian Donnelly’s. This allowed it to complement the previous work. The opening to the outer world created a nice contrast to the idea of closed doors and loneliness.
Bio:
I am a third-year student at UFV wishing to fulfil a major in history, and an extended minor in visual arts. The majority of the time, I create sculptures in mediums such as clay and plaster, however, this semester I wish to push myself and my creative boundaries. This semester, I have tried to submerge myself in mediums like drawing and video production, which are generally outside of my comfort zone.
