Spring Break
Chicago artist presents works to college community
Evan Groll
Issue date: 3/2/06 Section: Features
"Plot" incorporated only two ingredients, acrylic and powdered pigment on linen. To the untrained eye, the piece strongly resembles a tombstone containing the artist's name and the date of both his birth and death.
However, it became apparent that the dates were not what they seemed and the piece contained far more substance.
"The significance is that it [the dates] is my birthday and my son's birthday," Kapernekas explained. "I'm really interested in this idea of 'Plot' acting as both a cemetery marker and also being a plot nerve that is completely ambiguous."
It became plain to see that this piece held substantial significance in the heart and soul of Kapernekas himself
Another piece, made solely from straw and packaging tape, proved to embody a far deeper meaning than its physical presence. Standing on the tile floor and providing service as a traffic obstacle, this piece appropriately fit the depiction of its title, "Sandcastle."
"I live in Chicago so I got to have a sandcastle," Kapernekas said. "There's other reasons too though, I'm really interested in the idea of the myths of these castles."
Kapernekas went on to explain the story behind the creation of this work, giving a brief, yet interesting, history lesson of 17th century Germany, an equivocal ruler and an unfinished castle.
In a nutshell, Kapernekas' rendition seemed to bare much significance and it became rather obvious that he took great pride in its creation.
Another piece in which Kapernekas seemed particularly fond of bore strong resemblance to something one may find at an off-schedule construction site.
Composed of random dust, dirt, bones, stone, pigment, linen, tape, straw, glue and wood, Kapernekas' "Mirage" set itself apart from the stereotypical image of 'art.'
A single shelf that appeared to have been residing inside the gallery since the founding of ISU rested along the wall, seeming to represent some sort of prehistoric artifact.
However, it became apparent that the dates were not what they seemed and the piece contained far more substance.
"The significance is that it [the dates] is my birthday and my son's birthday," Kapernekas explained. "I'm really interested in this idea of 'Plot' acting as both a cemetery marker and also being a plot nerve that is completely ambiguous."
It became plain to see that this piece held substantial significance in the heart and soul of Kapernekas himself
Another piece, made solely from straw and packaging tape, proved to embody a far deeper meaning than its physical presence. Standing on the tile floor and providing service as a traffic obstacle, this piece appropriately fit the depiction of its title, "Sandcastle."
"I live in Chicago so I got to have a sandcastle," Kapernekas said. "There's other reasons too though, I'm really interested in the idea of the myths of these castles."
Kapernekas went on to explain the story behind the creation of this work, giving a brief, yet interesting, history lesson of 17th century Germany, an equivocal ruler and an unfinished castle.
In a nutshell, Kapernekas' rendition seemed to bare much significance and it became rather obvious that he took great pride in its creation.
Another piece in which Kapernekas seemed particularly fond of bore strong resemblance to something one may find at an off-schedule construction site.
Composed of random dust, dirt, bones, stone, pigment, linen, tape, straw, glue and wood, Kapernekas' "Mirage" set itself apart from the stereotypical image of 'art.'
A single shelf that appeared to have been residing inside the gallery since the founding of ISU rested along the wall, seeming to represent some sort of prehistoric artifact.