Cate Striplin Assignment #1

I was overwhelmed by Marliee Salvator's exhibit Prolific Growth. Experiencing this body of work was a revelation in personal depth causing both an emotional and yet very sterile matter-of-fact look into the very grain of our being. I was both perplexed and awe inspired. The fact that the most minute entity that makes up the bodies that we inhabit (cells) were displayed in all their immense glory, beautiful and colorful to examine with the naked eye or fingers nonetheless, was an almost mind-blowing art experience. For something so small, unassuming and overlooked to immerge; in your face, on your wall and in your walking path... you can't help but be taken aback by the realization that we are all just a compilation of cells. I enjoyed the thought provoking statement from the artist regarding the untrained eye seeing such objects as pretty, but to a professional they can be the difference between life and death. The sense of being overwhelmed panned off as i was guided through the gallery to view the remaining pieces. I say remaining pieces in the most sincere flattery. The remaining prints were kept simple and breathable, dressed in white frames with crisp white matting; letting the layering of print and drawing speak for itself. They gracefully and tastefully created a shallow end to the pool of work where the visitor could pause for a moment and take in something slightly less immense, slightly less consuming than the deep end that is the installation piece.

The installation piece Growth Patterns was a collaged hodge-podge of random and various cells of the human body. Each cell was created and fixed to a wood block cut out to exactly replicate the silhouette. The artist could be overheard explaining that there had been talks about having an exact home for each cell, but went with a random application of the cell cutouts on the wall, spilling onto the ceiling and floor.

The gallery exhibit was followed by a talk given by the artist which was equally as enlightening. As Marilee introduced her audience to some of the works that inspire her, as well as some of her other works I found myself being more and more drawn in, listening more intently over the common noise pollution expected within a university audience. Speaking about vines taking over entire spaces if allowed to, or the rain touching us less than we would assume necessary to be noticed... Marilee's talk is still a topic of my discussion well over a week after viewing her work for the first time. Hearing her words made you want to reinvestigate the exhibit for unseen gems that were touched on, different aspects overlook and beauty that was quietly waiting to be introduced. I would like to hear the talk again, perhaps, from a seat closer to the speaker. Marilee Salvator seemed to delight in the recap of her artistic walks and it was a contagious feeling.