KATIE LENDA
Special to The Leader
From graphic design to bronze statues, some of Fredonia’s senior art students presented their work at “Processus Imperium” on its opening night — Friday, Dec. 6.
The show features work from Adanna Akams, Anais Cantres, Kai Ellsworth, Kristin Johnson, Katherine Williamson and Stephen Williamson.
The works of Akams and Cantres exhibit portraits of women that may be underrepresented in contemporary society.
Through digital creation, Akams depicts underrepresented women in her work.
She creates these pieces with dark backgrounds and colors that contrast against the women’s purple and blue hair and dramatic makeup and jewelry.
Cantres describes her work as, “a creative exploration that constantly breaks the cliches of women archetypes in animations and paintings to promote cultural paradigm shifts.”
Cantres uses vibrant colors and flowers — but contrasts them with her other works that are darker and more eerie.
The darker portraits feature skeletons and hands around her neck to provoke the audience. These images are a reflection of sleep paralysis and attempt to show the audience the effects it can have on someone.
Kai Ellsworth’s pieces are bronze, genderless statues. He said, “If you look closely, the faces are like mannequins, signifying disconnection and disempowerment in American society.”
One of his statues features a figure stretching out of its arm on its knees. This may be interpreted as the statue feeling disempowered through what looks like a cry for help.
Stephen Williamson’s piece, titled “Tyro” is a framework meant to help better understand our concept of reality.
His work features sketches, drawings and a variety of shapes — which mostly comprise of circles and squares.
Williamson says the circles and squares represent “completeness and stability,” which are characteristics of the word tyro — a Latin word that translates to “a beginner in learning or understanding.”
Kristin Johnson uses her graphic design skills and her personal experience as a diabetic to create a book dedicated to diabetes awareness.
Johnson said, “The inspiration for my piece is the fact that I’ve lived with diabetes since the age of 4, how people react to finding out I have diabetes and the misinformation that comes along with people talking about diabetes.”
The book features dark, cool-toned photos that display aspects of the disease. For instance, there is a page dedicated to insulin with a photo of a needle to demonstrate the process.
Johnson said the overall message behind her artwork is, “To bring awareness to diabetes and maybe have people better understand what a diabetic goes through on a daily basis.”
Each artist displays their own unique and personalized message into their artwork. Through the pieces, the audience can see the passion each of these student artists have.
The “Processus Imperium: Senior Show” was a creative and eclectic exhibition that truly showcased the talent of each artist.
You still have some time to see the exhibit if you haven’t yet, as it runs through Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.