ART San Diego Contemporary Art Show 2014: Six Years of Innovation
Article by Sherehe Hollins
ART San Diego Contemporary Art Show 2014 returned for its sixth year to showcase the innovative and contemporary work of local, national and international emerging artists, making waves within the world of visual art. Interplay was the theme for 2014. The exhilarating excitement of the four day event filled Balboa Park’s Activity Center with synergistic liveliness. A broad repertoire of art including, photography, sculpture, ceramics, metal work, painting, mixed media, woodwork and metalized origami was featured at this year’s showcase. Interactive Art Labs, Art Talks, as well as live music were also featured. I had the chance to interview some of the exhibiting artists at the VIP reception on November 6th and have chosen to spotlight some of these dynamic artists and their work.
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Maite Benito Agahnia’s unique style of merging photography, painting and print making to create eclectic masterpieces, is the result of fine art training, a career in graphic design, as well as an innate artistic talent that she has nurtured since childhood. Born in Mexico City and raised in San Diego, Benito Agahnia, featured pieces from her series “One Second Exposure”. The series is a thoughtful juxtaposition between her fast paced work life and the peaceful moments experienced with her family while on vacation. The landscapes, portraits, and still life’s featured in the series were produced using a one-second exposure time. The short exposures create an ethereal effect where detail is lost, allowing the viewer to seek the deeper meaning present within her work. For Benito Agahnia discovering the meaning of her work is entirely up to the interpretation of the viewer. Her goal as an artist is for people to be inquisitive. She states that, “If it doesn’t raise a question, then in my mind it’s not successful.” For the past ten years Benito Agahnia has successfully shared her work as a fine artist with local, national and international audiences. Benito Agahnia described exhibiting her art at Art San Diego 2014 as important because, “It is an event that brings value to artists by showcasing art as a profession”.
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Theresa Vandenberg Donche is a designer, fine artist and gallery owner of Via Fine Art, located in historic Old Town San Diego. Prior to Via Fine Art becoming a brick and mortar gallery, Vandenberg Donche served as an artist representative for herself and four other artists whose work is showcased in the gallery. Among the artists featured at Via Fine Art is Mixed Media Artist, Maite Benito Agahnia. Vandenberg Donche’s decision to become a fine artist and gallery owner seemed to be a natural progression for a woman who has dedicated much of her life actualizing her artistic talent, and representing other artists. Vandenberg Donche, “grew up surrounded by the smell of oil paint”. She is the daughter of a farmer who on his off season welded elaborate metal sculptures. Her success as a professional artist and gallery owner is owed in part to the fact that she is just one of many artists in her family. Her work, and the artists she represents can be seen at Via Fine Art gallery, which is open by appointment only.
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David Leaser is a photographer who is pushing the limits of modern camera technology in order to create vivid images of botanical life that allow viewers to gain an entirely new perspective on nature. Leaser is able to capture the finest hairs on a flower the size of a fingernail by employing NASA camera technology used to photograph Mars and a focus stacking technique which allows every detail to remain in focus. Philadelphia born, and San Diego based Leaser, has been a photographer since his adolescence. His latest project “Tulipmania”, is a stunning series, that captures the rare and unusual beauty of 300-400 year old broken tulips. The term broken tulips refers to a virus that causes the solid color of the flowers to be interrupted by splotches of white that create a remarkable beauty but ultimately destroys the bulb. Broken tulips were responsible for the Tulip Craze that led to the collapse of the Dutch economy in the 1600’s. The bulbs were ordered from farmers in Holland who preserved the tradition of their ancestors, and later grown in Leaser’s garden. “Tulipmaina” was shot in Leaser’s studio so that each stage of the tulip’s development could be immortalized. The images are enlarged and infused onto polished aluminum to give the photographs an HDTV affect. Leaser’s artistic plans are to continue photographing flowers from all over the world, through using groundbreaking technology that allows him to push the creative envelope.
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Yanya Morton is a mixed media artist whose mythical yet modern style is influenced greatly by her rich Indian heritage, as well as 10 years spent working in the film industry as a scenic artist. Although Morton remembers being an artist since the moment she could pick up a pencil, at the age of 16 she was invited to work as a laborer on a film set where she developed an interest in set design. Her success as a professional artist is credited to the training she received from masters in the film industry, while working on numerous movie and TV sets, as well as to the formal education she received while attending art school. Morton’s work is inspired by lived experiences as well as by the interrelationship between eastern and western spiritual philosophies. The concept of divinity and self-empowerment is a theme woven throughout her series, “The Virtue of Compassion”, showcased at Art San Diego 2014. For the series Morton stated, “I wanted to pay tribute to gods and goddesses that are present within Buddhism and Hinduism, but that are relatable to many cultures. This work is the full expression of myself. It represents me removing all fear and completely going for it!” After taking a 10 year hiatus from showcasing her art, Morton is thankful that Art San Diego has provided a platform which allows artists who immerse themselves in their craft to be seen and celebrated nationally and internationally.
