Aggielife
Page 3 • Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Aneurysm:
isual Arts Gallery exhibit offers journey into self
ANTHONY DISALVO
:hitecture, demonte
Mi & BR
SNAP
R. DELI
Dr.
HEATHER BRONDY
The Battalion
jrvoss a smiling snake’s head in a top hat, a
human heart and a sheep’s head. Blend
^together. Make art. This is exactly what
iwsers will find in the Visual Arts Gallery,
mks to the efforts of the Visual Arts Cominit-
and its newest presentation, Benito Huerta’s
beurysin: the Mutation.”
The student-run organization’s goal is to
ke the campus more aware and appreciative
jrt. Lalaine Little, Visual Arts Committee ad-
er and gallery curator, said that goal is
lieved by bringing art to the gallery and pro-
ting the exhibit around campus.
“There are about 30 people on the [Visual
s] committee,” Little said. “Their jobs are to
art to bring to campus [and] work with the
sts on the details of the show, as well as the
tallation, the advertisement, and the educa-
[of the exhibit]. ”
Because there are only seven exhibitions at
gallery each year. Little said, selecting artists
be a competitive process.
“Iget announcements from galleries all over,
and I post them [in the office],” she said. “Stu
dents on the committee come in here, and if they
| something they like, they can pull it off the
[all and try to contact the artist. Since there’s
afy seven slots [for the exhibitions], the selec-
process tends to be veiy extensive.”
For the past month the gallery has exhibited
work of Benito Huerta, an assistant profes-
and curator in the Department of Art at the
iversity of Texas-Arlington. Huerta said the
ibition incorporates reoccurring images and
bols from his past.
“You do see a lot of repeated themes,”
Huerta said. “These are symbols I started us
ing when I first began painting, and [they]
.Mrcontinued to evolve.”
Some of these symbols include the human
brain, dominoes, and even some hidden human
anatomy. One piece, “Brave New World,” shows
an eye breaking through a swirl of cloudy
smoke. Huerta said the painting is a visual man
ifestation of his creative consciousness and the
violation an artist experiences as viewers catch
an illustrated glimpse into his private thoughts.
Laurie Kidd, external relations director for the
Visual Arts Committee and a junior biomedical
engineering major, said Huerta’s exhibit was
chosen because of the statement it makes.
“We try to pick art that makes statements and
Huertas’ paintings are bold, large, colorful and
controversial,” Kidd said. “When people walk
by the gallery they’re going to see it and say,
‘Hey, what’s that?’ VAC also tries to bring mul
ticultural exhibits, and at the one-on-one [artist
discussion] Thursday he explained that he is an
artist and he is Mexican, but he is not a Mexi-
can-artist. He makes a good statement.”
Huerta said all artists move through periods
in which they emulate the works of other
artists as they try to find their own creative
styles and energy.
“1 think earlier in my work I was most af
fected by Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and Mar
seille du Champ,” Huerta said. "But now 1
would say 1 am mostly influenced by my
friends, because some of these friends are now
artists who travel all over the country and show
their work in museums. 1 really respect their
work and listen to their opinions. As an artist,
it’s beneficial to have that personal connection.”
Huerta’s artistic career did not begin until late
in his life. He did not discover his passion or tal
ent for art until he was in college.
“1 only started painting my last year of col
lege at the University of Houston,” Huerta
said. “It felt so natural — I’d been drawing,
not very seriously, for a while. Then I began
painting for a class, and all of the sudden it
became my career.”
Little said sometimes the artists chosen are
uncomfortable about speaking about their
works to groups, but Huerta has been very co
operative and fun to work with.
“Benito’s really a neat guy,” she said. “He has
stories for all of his paintings. Sometimes I get
artists who, when you ask them to come speak
aren’t shy, really, but just aren’t comfortable
with public speaking. But this year we haven’t
had much of that. Benito’s been very receptive
to what people have to say.”
Kelly Dees, chair of the Visual Arts Commit
tee and a junior biomedical science major, said
she is not an artist, but she does greatly appre
ciates art and what it can do for culture.
“I’ve had a lot of business experience from
working with professional artists,” Dees said.
“But art can be utilized for the rest of your life
and can enrich it in a very positive way. It’s im
portant to have these galleries, because it’s very
easy to have that art experience without having
to be an artist yourself. Here at A&M, the gal
leries offer a safe environment for students to
come and just learn about art.”
Huerta also said art is culturally important
and can help to better society.
“I think it would change a lot if art were as
mandatory as English,” he said. “Kids today
need an outlet and rather than grabbing a gun
and shooting somebody, a more positive outlet,
would be to paint something. I feel like this
would create more art appreciation.
“If children were raised around it, people
may be less intimidated by it. In other cultures
it’s integral, a part of everyday life.”
Students interested in the work of Benito
Huerta should hurry to the exhibit. “Aneurism:
the Mutation” ends Nov. 2 and will be replaced
by Iraq native Lahib Jaddo’s exhibit titled
“Bound and Released,” Nov. 8.
To participate in a one-on-one presentation
with Jaddo, visitors can meet in the Visual Arts
Gallery Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Three works from Aneurysm: the Mutation (above and
background) represent Benito Huerta’s approach to art
PHOTOS BY ANTHONY DISALVO/The Battalion
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