Paradigm Shift

Albertus Magnus College Arts Management majors have organized this Flatfile exhibition supervised by Fritz Horstman. This exhibition is made possible by Robinson and Nancy Grover & the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Featured Artists: John Bent, Alexis Brown, JP Culligan, Matthew de Leon, Karen Dow, Caitlin Foster, Luke Hanscom, Noé Jimenez, Maria Lara-Whelpley, Tim Nikiforuk, Kevin Van Aelst

Curatorial Statement:

An open door marks the starting point of a descent into chaos. The pieces become more chaotic as one’s eye moves from left to right.  Not only does a progression from calm to chaos link these pieces, but at least one aspect of each piece can be found in the piece that follows it.  A flash of lightning follows a crack in an egg, the two jagged forms mimicking one another.  A particular shade of blue links a photograph to a painting.

The works in this exhibition include photographs, drawings, collage, prints and paintings; they demonstrate the progression from calm to chaos and they relate to one another through their styles and appearance.  Each artwork has emotion behind it and is beautifully created, with powerful uses of line, strong and vibrant colors, and serene atmospheres.  From the image of a battered, creaking door to an explosion of circles, lines, and shapes, these works depict the quiet moments in life and the chaos that happens every day.

Kevin Van Aelst’s photograph Paradigm Shift is both the namesake and anchor piece of this exhibition. It is a photograph of a cracked egg into which a light bulb has been placed.  The majority of the photograph is a calm light blue, but the light that shines from the bulb in the middle of the composition is vivid and bright, creating a positive emotion within the painting.  However, Van Aelst hints at impending chaos by creating a violent, jagged tear in the bulb and showing the viewer the bulb’s pieces in tiny, broken fragments.  Paradigm Shift is a turning point in the exhibition, shifting the mood of the exhibition from calm to chaotic.

Luke Hanscom’s photograph of an open door represents the calm before the storm.  Some of the pieces that follow literally involve lightning.  Kevin Van Aelst’s egg leads to a sub-theme of birds. Following the feathers drawn by Caitlin Foster are Karen Dow’s squares, which converse with the black and white of the feathers.  Together, these pieces depict a progression from calm to chaos, through many visual means.

Paradigm Shift was curated by the Museum and Curatorial Studies class at Albertus Magnus, under the direction of Fritz Horstman.  The student curators are: Autumn Chase, Morgan Gagne, Amber Gratta, Cassandra James, Leanna Velez, Jordan Warren, and Danielle Wollschlager