Creative processes

'Human Nature' and 'Degeneration' capture life at Zirkle House

KAREN KUPELIAN / staff photographer Senior Ryan Shean displays untitled oil and wax paintings and charcoal, ink and chalk drawings by "Human Nature."

Two student artists strive to reconcile their perceptions of life through original art works on display in the Zirkle House galleries. Senior Ryan Shean's "Human Nature" and junior Loni Gaghan's "Degeneration" are featured in the Artworks and Other galleries of Zirkle House. These exhibits include untitled pieces that are a testament to the creative process.

"Human Nature," attempts to change the viewers' perspectives on the relationship between humans and nature, according to Shean's artist's statement. She features paintings in oil and wax, along with drawings in charcoal, ink and chalk.

As if emerging from a primordial muddle, amorphous shapes hint at the human form, and lines flow from one object into the next. The fluidity blurs the distinction between shapes and borders despite the heavy black outlines — suggesting that humans and nature ought to be one. As stated by Erykah Badu in Shean's epigraph, "We can call ourselves Earth."

The texture in these works denotes a visceral quality, possibly hearkening to humans struggling to tame their environment rather than adapting to it. The paintings may be interpreted as a search for balance between humans and nature, external and internal. The subject also seems to be fighting against itself, as humans fight against, or succumb to, their own nature.

KAREN KUPELIAN / staff photographer Untitled photographs by junior Loni Gaghan express the depth of deteriorating and decaying material in the exhibit "Degeneration" at Zirkle House.

The paradoxical imagery conveyed in "Human Nature" is also reflected in "Degeneration." Gaghan's pieces convey a sense that a fullness and depth of life can be found in that which is deteriorated and decayed.

Iron and copper oxidation streaming down brick and siding; graffiti of decadent pop culture; hood ornaments and dashboards of cars no longer beaming with new brilliance — "Degeneration" is a series of photographs capturing change. Indeed, these snapshots whisper of teeming life now abandoned.

"Who knew that everyday objects could become so much more vivid and full of life after surviving decades of decay," Gaghan stated in her artist's statement. "It is as if rain and oxidation has breathed new life into that which has become abandoned for the latest and greatest."

Gaghan reveals glimpses into forgotten spaces where viewers may experience an uncanny reminder of their own mortality.

"Human Nature" and "Degeneration" will be on display through Feb. 2. Zirkle House is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday.