On view from July 25th through August 19, 2016
President’s Gallery
The President’s Gallery of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice is pleased to announce Stratifications by acclaimed Greek sculptor Antonia Papatzanaki. This second exhibit of the summer by a visiting professor for the Department of Art and Music includes two bodies of work: Exceeding Limits, a series of wall reliefs incorporating light, andCellular, engraved Plexiglas works in a series that includes archival prints.
Exceeding Limits comprises a series of mounted sculptures. Plexiglas, metal, and a hidden source of illumination combine to form graceful conduits that allow for the transmission of light. “By surpassing the material limits of the work,” says Papatzanaki, “light saturates the space and alludes to the possibility that human consciousness can transcend material reality.” Simultaneously linear and rigid, organic and natural, each piece shifts consciousness from the visual realm to human interiority as it moves from thought to action, to interaction, and beyond.
The Cellular series is inspired by cellular structures. Superimposed levels of engraved, translucently colored, fluorescent Plexiglas are highlighted by ambient light refracted on the carved surface. This focus on the organic unit, coupled with light, calls to attention an important premise of the artist’s work—light’s primary role in the existence of life.
A special addition to Stratifications is the inclusion of archival prints from the Cellularseries. Culled from the formation of the series, the prints’ suggestion of layering deepens the flat surface via powerful abstractions and color, capturing light evocatively and merging technology, science, and art.