Print artist Marie Bukowski gave a lecture on Feb. 22 about her art installation that has been housed in Albion’s own Elsie Munro Gallery since Jan. 23. Never before have I met someone who is so in touch with both sides of their brain, as her art and lecture exhibited.
The exhibit–recently taken down–consisted of three of Bukowski’s print collections, “Catalyst,” “Sensing Terrains,” and “Cortex,” coming together to form the series Undercurrents. Undercurrents was made up of 26 hand picked prints that all shared a common themes that dealt with Bukowski’s background with science. For example, “Catalyst” was inspired by the ideal movement of a pendulum and the math behind it, while “Sensing Terrains,” and “Cortex,” were both based off of images she saw through a microscope. When talking about these prints, she told us about how much joy and intensity went into making these visually complex works of art, using a similar layering process to achieve a certain visual aesthetic.
The only thing I could think about while admiring these works was how steady and patient her hands must be and how much I envied that. Throughout the gallery, you can see how much detail goes into making even a small part of the print. From the intricate skin-cell-like designs, to the electronic looking patterns. As I looked at pieces from her collection “Cortex,” I got up close to the print and noticed how small and fine these hand drawn patterns were. Whereas in pieces from “Sensing Terrains” it took me a few glances to notice that there were numbers and even a full equation beneath the surface of the print. It was incredible.
Bukowski, a woman who wears many different hats, stressed many times in her lecture her interest in math and science, saying that “math is meditative and relaxing.” Though most people would say that those with the ability to produce amazing art, such as Bukowski, don’t share the same adoration for math, she explained that she uses it to create “perfection in imperfection.”
After hearing the lecture, I went online and looked through all of Bukowski’s collections and had a newfound sense of appreciation for them. I noticed what I hadn’t before, and pressed my face against the computer screen and tried to see the meticulous and precise circles and numbers. Though I love admiring these works of art, seeing them made of pixels and not in person doesn’t do them justice.
Marie Bukowski is a celebrated artist, with exhibits all over America as well as across the pond, in Bulgaria, Croatia, The Netherlands and Romania. The Albion community was lucky enough to house her collection for nearly a month.
Photo curtesy of: http://mariebukowski.com/archives/357
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