Oxy Arts hosted the opening event of artist Mercedes Dorame’s exhibition “Where Sky Touches Water” Feb. 8. Students, community members and Dorame’s friends and family attended, observing a combination of photographic and sculptural art depicting components of the natural world. The gallery includes close-up photographs of rocks and seashells, geometric and pottery-like sculptures and glass panels printed with organic patterns.
According to the Oxy Arts website, “Where Sky Touches Water” was based on Dorame’s work in the Channel Islands of California, and uses natural elements to connect the real environment to the realms of the celestial and the unknown. The exhibition uses an Indigenous lens to understand the natural world and will be on display at Oxy Arts through April 20.
Bernadette Robinson (junior) said she attended the opening event with a friend who is currently taking “Art Education Practicum: Community Studio at OXY ARTS,” a class that encourages students to attend art exhibitions.
“[My friend] told me about this one that was happening at Oxy Arts,” Robinson said. “I thought it was really cool that it was featuring an Indigenous artist and the theme of the relationship between nature.”
Meldia Yesayan, the director of Oxy Arts, said that this exhibition is the product of extensive planning and collaboration, and is also the culmination of a year-long residency at Oxy Arts for Dorame, which included multiple exhibitions.
“We initiated discussions with Dorame almost two years ago and planned this year of exhibitions and programming together,” Yesayan said via email. “She was also the visiting curator with Joel Garcia of our fall exhibition — a group show highlighting the work of Southern California Native artists.”
A previous Oxy Arts exhibition, “The Iridescence of Knowing,” was on display this Fall and was co-curated by Dorame. Yesayan said that displaying Dorame’s artwork in the physical space of Oxy Arts has contributed to its aesthetic and functionality in relation to audience engagement.
“The entire process of organizing and presenting Dorame’s work has been exceptionally meaningful,” Yesayan said via email. “What stands out is experiencing her work unfold within the exhibition space and seeing the audience engage with the art and connect with the significance of the exhibition.”
Manager of Education and Community Programs Frankie Fleming said that Dorame and Production Manager Jeff Ono incorporating specific technical elements allowed Oxy Arts to showcase the exhibition to its fullest extent.
“Our production manager… worked closely with [Dorame] to plan and test all of the installation components, including the curved walls, hanging prints on plexi and fine–tuning the lighting,” Fleming said via email. “[Dorame] had a really incredible vision for this show to be very atmospheric and immersive, and I think her vision completely came to life.”
Fleming said that these details allowed the exhibition to be more intricate and engaging for the audience to explore.
“What I love is how all of the different parts speak to each other and overlap,” Fleming said via email. “The more time you spend in the space, the more details, resonances and echoes you see in the artwork.”
According to Fleming, the elaborate and complex gallery used for “Where Sky Touches Water” is expected to positively influence viewers’ experiences while engaging with the artwork.
“I think it is a beautiful example of inviting people to really slow down and observe, and have a reflective and embodied experience of viewing art,” Fleming said via email.
Fleming said she hopes that the exhibition will continue to be appreciated by viewers and increase the exposure of work like Dorame’s in the community.
“There has been a real sense of awe and reverence from everyone who has come to see the show so far,” Fleming said via email. “Next week, we have a group of 60 fourth graders from a local elementary school coming to see the show, and I am very excited to see their reactions.”
When Robinson attended the opening event, she said that the display of the photographs was able to highlight both the organic and the artistic elements of the natural world.
“It was funny; at first, I thought some of the photographs were actually paintings,” Robinson said. “It portrayed landscapes that I’d seen before, but the way it showed them was very unique.”
Robinson said that she felt the Indigenous perspective of the gallery was one of its strengths in portraying the natural landscape.
“It makes you think about our relationship with nature [and] the different ways Indigenous communities might find their relationship with nature,” Robinson said. “Those are all things that are important to think about, and I think people were really drawn to that.”
Yesayan said that incorporating Indigenous work into the field of landscape photography can bring new perspectives to a field that has historically centered people with significant privilege and access to resources.
“This exhibition provides a view of the native landscape of our region through a different lens,” Yesayan said via email. “[It’s] a more inclusive [and] historically layered representation in the narrative of landscape photography, one we hope becomes more prominent over time.”
Contact Clay Carson at carsonc@oxy.edu
