Printmaking emerges anew in ‘Metamorphosis’ at Irvine Fine Arts
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The concept of metamorphosis conjures up notions of change, natural evolution and even a supernatural shift. The Irvine Fine Arts Center exhibition, “Metamorphosis: Mending the Wound” explores the idea of evolving through works by members of the Lynk Collective, an organization that has evolved itself.
“The Lynk Collective is group of printmakers and artists who work in print-based techniques, and they formed in our printmaking studio, ” said Virginia Arce, exhibitions program coordinator at the center.
Formed in 2017 at the Irvine Fine Arts Center’s printmaking program, the collective is “very dear” to the Irvine Fine Arts Center, Arce said, and the exhibition that features its members as well as guest artists is a full-circle moment.
Presented in the Central Gallery and curated by Christina Fesmire and Jared Millar, “Metamorphosis: Mending the Wound” is on view now through May 24, with each artist exploring the idea of metamorphosis in the traditional sense and through more complex ideas.
“Blue Wall,” a project led by Christina Yasmin Fesmire, features work from every exhibiting artist, collaged together in unifying blue, with different representations of metamorphosis on display. Amphibians and cocooned insects appear beside cityscapes like Fiorito’s “Trapped by Wealth,” a lithograph of unhoused people boxed in high-rise buildings.
“The inspiration came from the salon-style exhibitions of the late 19th century, early 20th century, and it is a big collage of artists responding to a theme,” said Arce. “A lot of the printmaking processes that we are able to support in our studio are here.”
A litany of types and multitude of techniques make printmaking a practice that can be new to the artist. It is also an ancient art that seems even more subversive in a time when digital media reigns.
“It is a really interesting time to emphasize the hand, when we are dealing with digital media and how artists are incorporating AI or having hesitation about working with it,” said Arce. “It is nice to see a little imperfection in the application of ink or how a line is really characterized by the pressure you apply to a plate. I think that is really special.”
Another collaborative effort is “Cocoon,” led by Andra Broekelschen and incorporating prints made on teabags layered together to create a large chrysalis. The feeling of the piece is echoed by an installation titled “Lágrimas de las Chicharras,” by Yvette Trujillo and Dusty Guerra. Inspired by the distinct cries of cicadas, winged insects hang on rose gold wires and paper pulp hives.
The most breathtaking is “A Fragile Web,” a project led by Karen Feuer-Schwager. A clear web traps words and pictures within its tangles, spelling out the word “Fragile” while also depicting endangered animals and plant life, a reference to the delicate balance we all share.
The naturally dyed yarns and fibers are held together with a type of adhesive glue, and the colors change organically as the installation ages.
The exhibition exists not far off from the printmaking studio where the Lynk Collective began.
“The studio really runs with the help of our volunteers, they help give a lot of the instruction and support to the folks who use it,” said Arce.
In the Project Gallery, an exhibition from Los Angeles-based artist Michelle Andrade explores a different kind of shift with “Michelle Andrade: Everything’s Fine.” The work examines the area that teeters between relaxed and anxious, cheerful and depressed. The distinct visual style in the mixed-media work includes drawings and brightly colored, humorously titled books.
“Everything about the work kind of synthesizes her practice. It is very diaristic in nature,” said Arce. “You can think of it as a self-portrait, and it is so relatable.”
Arce curated “Everything’s Fine” herself and felt an immediate connection to Andrade’s work when she encountered it.
“It was funny, it was poignant, it was very tongue-in-cheek, but it is also so sincere and honest,” said Arce.
The piece “I Felt Pretty Good One Day Last Week” incorporates pop-art sensibilities with self-depreciating humor, while “Self-Help,” a project the artist began in 2019, feels deeply personal. The 24 individual books selected for the show were created during the COVID-19 lockdown, and the fictional titles are reflective of the intrusive thoughts that developed within many people’s heads during that time.
“I think it is really remarkable to see how we are all having these thoughts and feelings and we are all trying to live them,” said Arce.
Titles like “The Art of Masking Your Depression” or “Awkward Situations and How to Relive Them in Your Head in the Middle of the Night” are all blank inside, a commentary on the lack of answers or concrete information that can be found within the self-help industry.
Arce believes a community art center should support the community and said that by featuring the Lynk Collective, Irvine Fine Arts is making sure the local art scene continues to evolve and grow.
“It is really nice to be able to support the folks who use the studio, especially in Orange County where we don’t have too many spaces and places for artists to show,” she said.
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