bemisUNDERGROUND: One Man's Trash Solo Exhibition by Bart Vargas
Event Time: January 26, 2007 - February 24, 2007
Whether mimicking forms inherently found in nature, children’s toys or creating complex installations that represent skies and fields, Omaha sculptor and installation artist Bart Vargas strives to reveal the potential beauty that exists within items that contemporary society sends to the landfill; i.e. into the “underground.” After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that’s exactly what Vargas illustrates in his solo show. One Man’s Trash will be on view in the bemisUNDERGROUND from January 26 - February 24, 2007. An Opening Reception takes place on Friday, January 26, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Exhibition hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Throughout the exhibition’s run, Vargas will periodically be on site creating art objects from discarded materials, and will also present gallery talks on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. to elaborate on his work and processes. All events are FREE, and the public is warmly invited to attend.
Bart Vargas has been exploring the artistic potential and value of trash and abandoned objects for over 10 years. Using repetition and form, he builds structures and environments that blur the identity of these everyday materials, transforming them into playful, thought-provoking objects to which people react and respond. From large-scale sculptures built from obsolete technology to simple walls of metal and glass containers precariously supported by gravity alone, Vargas seeks to elevate the status of these materials from trash to art, while also encouraging viewers to consider their own material consumption and its potential short- and long-term effects on the environment. Comments the artist: “By creating my art with trash, I am referencing this specific moment in time – the early 21st Century. My art is both artifact and evidence of my community experience. I am a sculptor, painter, scholar, illusionist, imposter and hypocrite, all in one.”
About the Artist: Vargas has exhibited widely throughout Omaha, and his work can be found in many private collections in the Omaha and Kansas City area, including the University Foundation Collection at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
The bemisUNDERGROUND:
Lower level of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, south of the Old Market
724 S. 12th Street, Omaha, NE 68102
Underground phone line: 402.408.2397
www.bemisunderground.org
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