University of California, Santa Cruz

Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery

Neural Notations

Curated by Donna Leigh Schumacher

March 14 – April 21, 2000

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Julia Chiapella

Sunday, April 9, 2000

pp. C-4

UCSC Art Show has Lots of Brain

Brain function is wildly varied and always mysterious, even as research grows daily. What is known is that brain chemistry and the emotions are inseparable. Human experience develops in tandem with biological functioning. All this is the foundation for an exhibition currently on display at the Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery at UC Santa Cruz’s Porter College.

“Neural Notations” presents a collection of work by artists who explore the connection between the neurological and the emotional. Curated by Donna Leigh Schumacher, Neural Notations is a creatively insightful look into the vagaries and inspired musings that are the offspring of unusual brain functioning. Some of these conditions have been given terms such as monopolar affective disorder or manic depression. But the work transforms the conditions into inspired visions occupying time and place, rather than vague labels on a medical chart.

Like stars in a galaxy, Cheryl Coon’s “Thread and Nails” is just that: thread and nails. Installed against the wall at the entrance of the gallery, this piece is a regally simple construction. Nails are joined together at an axis by white thread and affixed to the wall in a random pattern. The effect is a stunningly lucid piece, pitting agony and brilliance as not only counterparts but necessary allies.

Schumacher’s “Brain Dolls” do a more literal translation of the side effects of certain neural functioning. Using a variation on the classic voodoo doll, she affixes pills to the ends of pins that enter the body of the doll. Each pill has been prescribed for Schumacher for a different ailment, and the pharmaceutical circular for each of these drugs is displayed behind the dolls. Halperidol for schizophrenia, Serzone for depression and Estradiol for female hormone – each have their corresponding pill and each act as their own agent of torture for the doll’s intended receiver. The dolls are exquisitely built of red velveteen and adorned with unusual buttons and appliqués of external organs in contrasting fabric.

Surreal and arrestingly composed, Gail Wight’s “The First Evolutionary Occurrences of Pain” combines large blueprints of the common house snail with three small scenes: an overturned car, a phone booth surrounded by benches, and a figure being approached by a cop. They are small, model-train size tableaus replete with their own electronic wizardry and, as such, present a seemingly unrelated but disturbingly moving group of images.

Some of these pieces incorporate the EEG into their work, definitively connecting brain waves with the creative process. Another, Elliot Anderson’s “Bete,” includes an interactive video and sound sculpture in a work that uses technology to create a darkly ethereal environment.

On the traditional side, Elliot Ross’ “Self-portraits” provide a 28-set glimpse into the inner workings and outer facades of the artist, invoking the likes of Francis Bacon in some of their phantasmic imagery.

This is a show of provocative intentions. It presents for us a multi-faceted collection of modes and methods in interpreting the subtleties of the mind. As usual, the Mary Porter Sesnon has created an exhibition that is as thoughtful as it is challenging.

Neural Notations

Curated by Donna Leigh Schumacher

Artists:

Elliot W. Anderson

Cheryl Coon

Jennifer Gwirtz

horea

Sara Roberts

Elliot Ross

Donna Leigh Schumacher

Susan Schwartzenberg

Catherine Wagner

Gail Wight