All Things Both Great and Small (March 2024)
/New mixed-media work by Nancy Hagler-Vujovic, Carol DeVall, and Robert Esquivel. February 28 - March 30, 2024
Listen to Robert and Nancy discuss the show on NET’s FRIDAY LIVE.
CAROL DEVALL (ARTIST STATEMENT)
”I like for people to take the time to look at my pieces, to notice the details and the story it tells. I create the forms and then play with color and detail. I'm in a happy place with a bunch of newly created tiny parts and pieces, wire, glue and other objects for embellishment in front of me. I hope what I create draws the viewer into a story and encourages them to slow down and observe the small and interesting things my art and life has to offer.”
NANCY HAGLER-VUJOVIC (ARTIST STATEMENT)
”My work first developed under the umbrella of the Chicago Imagists, so I view myself as a keeper of sorts of a cherished artistic heritage. I embrace the whimsical, the bizarre, and the absurd. I try to capture the essence of the human experience in a way that is both playful and provocative, drawing inspiration from such things as contemporary cultural marginalia, science fiction, so-called “Outsider Art” and the ever-evolving urban landscape. Each piece is a vague narrative, perhaps a story waiting to be discovered that we are blind to, but that is often positioned in plain sight.”
ROBERT ESQUIVEL (ARTIST STATEMENT)
”I have always been obsessed with storytelling. Especially those from the Oral Tradition of Indigenous People and those from the Visual Arts. I have also been obsessed with color. The brighter the better. It may be a representation of my Latino Heritage or just a penchant for Magical Realism I'm not sure. I only know that Magic seldom appears in Black & White. Spontaneity and discovery in the moment also appeals to me and guides my creative pursuits. I like to think my work touches something in everyone and that in at least some small way it communicates on some level with the viewer. I hope you agree.”