art
art
Top photo: Untitled mixed-media piece by Scott Oldfield
Bottom photo: "Exertion of Consciousness," mixed-media piece
by Willie Sanchez
(Photos courtesy of artists)

UTSA Satellite Space presents M.F.A. exhibitions

By Tim Brownlee
Assistant Director of Public Affairs

(April 1, 2009)--The UTSA Department of Art and Art History and the UTSA Satellite Space will host two exhibitions of master-of-fine-arts thesis projects in April. The exhibits, "Among the Takers" by Scott Oldfield and "Penance" by Willie Sanchez, run April 3-19 in the UTSA Satellite Space, Blue Star Arts Complex Suite 114, at S. Alamo and Probandt streets. The shows are free and open to the public.

>> An opening reception, free and open to the public, is 6-9 p.m., Thursday, April 2. The gallery also will be open 6-9 p.m., April 3 for First Friday, the monthly art gallery open house in the Southtown district. Regular gallery hours are noon-6 p.m., Friday-Sunday, or by appointment.

In "Among the Takers," Oldfield's new sculptures explore the complex relationships between the animal world and human exploration. Investigating the processes of genetics and evolution, he uses mixed materials and fabricated steel to develop figures at odds within the synthetic world created by human nature. The pieces develop a dialogue between primitive and modern technologies and examine the relationship of those bound to the will of the takers.

In Sanchez's new works in "Penance," he focuses on primitive images and the purification that comes from the repetitive, brutish nature of their creation. He creates drawings and sculptures from tar, motor oil, ink, concrete, housing insulation, plaster and other materials to create totems to protect the viewer from the metaphysical. The totems reintroduce a sense of magic to the modern world and a mythical reality rooted in primitive imagery.

For an appointment, private showing or more information, contact Connie Swann, Department of Art and Art History, at (210) 458-4391, or call the gallery at (210) 212-7146.