By Rachel Flora, Arts and Entertainment Editor
There are not many places in Savannah where one can find Bowie-inspired sequential art, giraffe sculptures and a giant ceramic bust under the same roof. Fortunately for lovers of the eclectic gallery show, Ashmore currently has all those pieces and more.
The third of four Armstrong capstone exhibitions, “At This Rate,” hosted its reception at Ashmore Gallery on April 4. The five graduating seniors showing their work were Adam Uhlig, Jud Wichers, Sarah Sexton, Morgan Zilm and George Papadopoulos.
Immediately upon entering the gallery, Uhlig’s giant ceramic head was the first thing visitors saw. “Breakthrough” is a massive clay bust that took over 40 hours to make and was first revealed at last fall’s Raku Pizza Night.
Around the sculpture, Uhlig included sketches of the work as well as a painting that compared the sculpture to a roaring lion, entitled “Unleashed.”
“Unleashed” is based on the Bible verse Proverbs 28:1 that reads, “A wicked man flees when no one is pursuing him, but a righteous person is as bold as a lion.”
“The top painting is about living boldly and living courageously,” Uhlig said. “That’s been a theme in my life, something that I’ve been learning that’s really important.”
As for the sculpture, “it’s about breaking through issues and barriers that people struggle with in life,” Uhlig said.
Another impressive piece from the show was “Mobaar the World Eater,” a seven-pane sequential art piece by Wichers with both acrylic and watercolor.
“This was a dream that I had about a year ago,” Wichers said. “I woke up at 3 a.m., I’d been listening to a lot of David Bowie and reading a lot of C.S. Lewis.”
Wichers immediately wrote down the story and then started to draw it out, saying, “It was a blast to make.”
The art portrays a pink monster in space and Wichers as an astronaut. Though many wondered at the symbolism of the piece, guessing themes from God’s creation of the world to Norse mythology, Wichers revealed that the true meaning is the loneliness of space.
Papadopoulos’ digital prints imitated a pop-art style with the black graphics and bright splashes of color. His piece “Mutton Chops” especially seemed to attract a lot of attention.
Inspired by a 2012 trip to South Africa, Zilm painted in watercolor and acrylic the faces of the children she met there. She also displayed mementos from her trip on a table beneath her art.
Sexton stuck to a natural theme for her collection, showing several ceramic plates with tree designs as well as a large ceramic giraffe that only took two-and-a-half weeks to make.
“I’ve always been inspired by nature,” Sexton said. “As a kid I spent all my time outdoors, so that probably reflects through my work.”
Sexton’s focus is ceramics, and she brought mostly ceramic pieces to the show. “I like having my hands on the work and really crafting the piece,” Sexton said. “That’s my joy, just getting into it.”
This exhibition shows a wide range of talent and should not be missed. The pieces will remain at Ashmore Gallery until April 11. The final Armstrong senior show, “Chronic Hyperreality,” will host its reception at Ashmore April 18.
