By Chinedum Emelumba—
One of the quintessential aspects of art is its ability to surpass physicality and reach into the soul of any human being and invoke infinite emotions. In other words, the beauty of art lies in its universality. This mission of totality was accomplished for all of the contributing artists at the Gaia/Gala Auction at Jersey City Hall on October 19, 2012.
Upon stepping foot into the gallery, spectators are likely to fall subject first to the contagious antiquity of the four walls, and then by the distinctive works of art that gently rest on them. The first thing you see when you walk through the doors is a smooth brass band, with a lead singer belting out vocals in heavenly satisfaction. The band delivered sweet sounds of jazz music, while visitors moved from one end of the room to the other- sipping their refreshments and murmuring how exquisite each of the art pieces was. As we proceed around the circled room, prepare to witness mind-boggling, jaw-dropping pieces.
Often times, artists have this complex vision in their minds that they eagerly express all over a blank canvas through bold colors and innovative mediums. But, other times they create a piece that is abundant in its simplicity. This was the case for artist Charlotte Exantus in her piece titled Red Glitter. Exantus illustrates four long, red lines that connect to form an almost squared figure in the center of a white background. The corners of the red lines are splattered with chunks of glittery black ink. Under the piece hung a clip that read, “she swears up & down that she loves him, but I know that she’s only staying because she is … afraid of loneliness.”
At the first glance, neither the thought of loneliness nor the idea of the struggle of emotions crossed my mind. The image depicted something joyous and bright, while the deeper meaning was something dark and hollow.
In the same light of severity is the piece by artist Melissa MacAlpin called I am entitled to Healthcare. Coincidentally, we are just a few weeks away from a presidential election, where topics like this are common subjects. MacAlpin plants this phrase on a 12 by 12 cut paper, with wood and LED lights which, when plugged, flashes bright pink and green colors.
To the right hand corner of the room peeped a piece against a crack in the wall, titled Bird Woman, by artist Marci Matthew. Providing a contrast to Exanus and MacAlpin’s simpler works, Matthew’s Bird Woman is a more complex piece that displays the head of a woman with the forehead of a bird against a whirlwind of bright blue colors. Matthew incorporates two essential entities—mankind and nature; paint is used to highlight\ the interconnection that we all have with one another.
Every single work of art seemed like it represented a distinctive element of life. But, the piece titled “Surya” by artist Heather Sandler stood out the most. Sandler depicts the image of a naked woman on a lengthy, royal blue cloth, with her back facing spectators, and hands reaching for the high heavens. Her curly hair rests down her slightly arched back. Both hands of the naked woman raised in the air extend into what seems like withering leaves of a tree.
Some works of art display an idea that is simple to the naked eye and require little decoding, while other works call for intimate engaging of the mind. In all cases, there is a universality that radiated throughout the building that evening. Visitors of the Gaia/Gala Gallery are likely to leave in the same manner in which they first entered the room—awestruck and gripped with glee!
