April 18, 2008
From the time the UTEP Student Union was built in 1969, The UTEP Union Art Gallery has served as a forum of visual expression for up and coming artists from the El Paso/Juárez area. Because of it’s naturally built in student population, the UTEP Union Art Gallery is the most highly visited gallery in the Sun City. We invite you to experience the expression that is being developed and nurtured on the UTEP campus.
“Adept balance” is the title of the upcoming collective exhibition at the UTEP Union Art Gallery that will feature works from three young artists who are currently honing in their skills at UTEP’s Art department. They’ll be spotlighting carefully crafted jewelry pieces and abstract sculptures. These young women are Alejandra Bremer, Regina Alejandra Duran and Cristina Ortega.
For Alejandra Bremer, it’s about finding beauty in unconventional places, “Most of the time fungi are underestimated, but they’re so interesting and amazing. We’re able to find them almost anywhere; they are essentially powerful and have the amazing capability of adapting to many environments.” She utilizes diverse materials such as enamels, wood, and textiles to recreate the attractive shapes, textures and colors of these curious organisms. Bremer adds, “The equilibrium of elegance combined with the ugliness of living in a chaotic society is my true inspiration. It is present in everything I do or make and it’s the primary reason that I prefer to focus on functional art.”
Regina Alejandra Duran fuses strong sculptural lines with ceramics as she applies a sculptural approach that utilizes transparencies, layers, repetition, perfect shapes, variations on size of the same shape, exact measures, kinetic methods and construction, and an exploration in color. “I like to reflect parts of my life or sometimes I just express what I think about life, I like to acknowledge uncommon things, observe and listen to small details that exist in daily life that not much attention is given to,” said Duran.
Cristina Ortega draws daily inspiration from nature, architecture and literature, “My desire to make art comes from my drive to transform things. I want to know that I was part of the creation process of something that people will look, appreciate, interact and wear.” Her heritage provides an important influence that comes through in the way that her pieces are crafted and knotted. She makes pieces that are vibrant with color, with abstract figures, angles and lines.
The “Adept Balance” exhibition will be open to the public from April 17 through May 16 with an artists’ reception to be held on May 1, 2008. Please join us in celebrating these up and coming artists The UTEP Union Gallery is located on the second floor of UTEP Union Building East.