Exploring an array of textures and colors that appear naturally in recycled materials, WSU Vancouver alumna, Shara Chwaliszewski, presents a collection of art pieces in her newest installation titled “Things Becoming Things.” Her work is currently on view to all who explore the ins-and-outs of the first and second floor galleries located throughout the Science and Engineering building on campus.
Things.” (Josalyn Ortiz/The VanCougar)
Chwaliszewski graduated from WSU Vancouver with degrees in English literature and fine arts, and is originally from eastern Canada. As stated on the “Things Becoming Things” WSU Vancouver Fine Arts Department web page, the artist has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2006 and currently works as a tutor at the Writing Center — she also makes art in her backyard studio located in Camas. Using “…several mediums, she creates two and three-dimensional works that are non-objective but often biomorphic,” according to the website.
Within her “Things Becoming Things” exhibition, Chwaliszewski said having her art arranged throughout the building without being confined by glass gives each piece a sense of freedom and life. Her work can be found on the walls, on the floor and just inside the building’s entrance.
“I like the idea of these things sort of being free and then moving them around to give them some kind of agency,” Chwaliszewski said. “They kind of take on a character of their own.”
Chwaliszewski said she chose the name “Things Becoming Things” because every art piece was constructed from reclaimed and found objects. While her materials tend to take on a form of their own, the artist describes a sense of tension between herself and the objects, as they become “new things.”
Chwaliszewski uses an array of reclaimed items, from raw canvases to styrofoam, cardboard, packaging, paper and glaze, among many other things. Within her “Things Becoming Things” artist statement, Chwaliszewski explained how these materials are layered until they form a new object entirely.
“Reclaimed or simple materials and repetitive, almost meditative, processes characterize my approach. As I struggle against or am guided by the inclinations of the medium, working with intention but no preconceived direction, a story begins to tell itself. Manipulation of outward form makes inner doubts fall away, and all is reduced to a conversation between my hands and the material,” Chwaliszewski wrote.
One of the pieces in the installation, titled “Cephalopodcast,” is made of paper, screen and bamboo roots, forming the shape of a squid-like creature. Chwaliszewski uses the base materials as inspiration, letting the piece take its own form during the creation process.
“In order to make my studio, I had to physically clear a large area of bamboo, and when their roots grow together, they are these impenetrable kinds of connections … so, the roots themselves are really interesting to me, more interesting than the straight bamboo,” Chwaliszewski said. “A lot of what I do is covering things up with other things or connecting things together. …When I make a glaze, I just mix the paint with some glue and water and then put successive glazes over it to get different effects.”
Next to “Cephalopodcast” is a piece titled “Spring SprangSprung” made from paper, clothespins and a metal trap. Chwaliszewski said that this piece is an example of “Things Becoming Things,” where a hazardous or toxic material is transformed into something new.
“I found an old metal trap in the meadow when I was walking one day, so I rendered it inoperable to hurt anything by means of art,” Chwaliszewski said.
Chwaliszewski hopes that viewers will stop to look at “Things Becoming Things” and feel inspired to add art to their own environments in unique ways.
Students can expect to see these art pieces change locations within the building, and some pieces may be altered throughout the semester. “Things Becoming Things” will remain featured in the Science and Engineering Building until Dec. 9.
“Take some time to slow down and look at things, think about things and make some art,” Chwaliszewski said.
Norman is a senior majoring in Integrated Strategic Communications and Digital Technology & Culture.