CSUF Nicholas + Lee Begovich Gallery | Fall 2024–Spring 2025

 

Woman with photograph.

VITAE: A NEW GENERATION

November 2, 2024 – May 17, 2025
Public Reception: November 2, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

In the 1960s, former art professor G. Ray Kerciu (active 1963-2002) started a repository for prints to develop a Study Collection that would serve as a curricular resource for faculty, students, and the community. Decades following Kerciu's vision, the collection expanded its holdings to paintings, photography, and other media, illuminating artistic experimentation and the social and political issues of our time.

Today, the collection, primarily of contemporary works of art, continues to thrive as a source for intellectual and artistic inquiry while challenging the traditional art historical canon by including multiple perspectives. The presentation of the exhibition Vitae reflects these sentiments. It highlights the collection's latest additions demarcated by recent events such as the pandemic in 2020 and the Visual Arts Department's modernization of its facilities in 2021 through 2024. Featured are select works produced by a new generation of image makers who have continuously prospered in their art practice since their time as students at CSU Fullerton. The exhibition explores the intertwined nature of life experiences and self-discovery while fostering discussion around social justice in the works by William Camargo ('14), Salvador De La Torre ('15), Joe Devera ('11), D Hill ('15), Nicole Merton ('21), Beatriz Mora-Hussar ('16,'19), Juliana Rico ('14), and Leonard Suryajaya ('13).

The exhibition is organized by CSUF Begovich Gallery and is curated by Jennifer Frias, Director/Curator, and Adela Tapia, Curatorial Assistant (MA, Art History,' 24). Jillian Bentley (MA, Art History,' 22) and Clark Silva (MA, Art History,' 23) contributed additional research and text. Support is provided by the Art Alliance, CSUF's Instructional Related Activities Grant, the College of the Arts, and the Department of Visual Arts.


NICOLE MERTON, "Voice 37: Michelle (From the series Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Movement)," 2021, Digital inkjet print. From the Permanent Collection of the Department of Visual Arts, CSU Fullerton.
 

Photograph of a distored landscape.

CHRISTOPHER O'LEARY: GRAVITY WELL
November 2, 2024 – May 17, 2025
Public Reception: November 2, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

"Gravity Well," an exhibition of recent multimedia video installations and photographic works by artist Christopher O'Leary, explores the historical developments and technological mechanisms that have granted humans the ability to perceive the otherwise imperceptible cosmic phenomena of gravitational waves. O'Leary's research-based art practice frequently toggles between the application of sophisticated scientific knowledge and the philosophical enigmas and existential dilemmas that such formulations produce, with a particular fascination for the advanced instrumentation required to perceive these mysterious underpinnings of the universe. While previous projects by O'Leary have explored various earthbound observatories and labs designed to detect everything from light particles to dark matter, his latest body of work focuses on the unique instruments used to sense the ripples in space-time caused by the collision of massive black holes thousands of light years away. Central to the exhibition's presentation is documentary footage of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and its dual detectors in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana. Through custom software, O'Leary combines video, sound, and images with generative effects in real time to exemplify the distortional vibrations of these gravitational waves. O'Leary further develops his artistic investigation of these themes through related large-scale photographic works cataloging the history and theory of the field, a series of 3D animated illusions presenting the anatomy of a gravitational wave, and a photographic film sculpture gathered from his extensive research at both LIGO facilities.

Artist’s website: oleary.studio

The exhibition is presented in partnership with the programs in Creative Photography & Experimental Media, Game Art, Animation, & Immersive Media, and the Nicholas and Lee Begovich Gravitational Wave Physics and Astronomy Center (GWPAC) at CSUF. Curated by Jennifer Frias, Gallery Director/Curator, with an extended essay by James MacDevitt, Associate Professor of Visual and Cultural Studies at Cerritos College. Support is provided by the Art Alliance, CSUF's Instructional Related Activities Grant, the College of the Arts, and the Department of Visual Arts.


CHRISTOPHER O’LEARY, "Gravity Well," 2024, Generative video installation. Courtesy of the artist.
 

Colorful collage

MICHELLE EMAMI: ARCANA

November 2, 2024 – May 17, 2025
Public Reception: November 2, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Growing up, artist Michelle Emami's parents raised her by intentionally refraining from imposing their religious perspectives. They encouraged her to chart her path through the mysteries of life. Despite the absence of formal religious instruction, the household was rich with esoteric influences. Emami's mother would present tarot cards, sparking her fascination with folklore and prompting her to develop her own symbolic language. As she matured, Emami began to explore her parents' cultural backgrounds, weaving these influences into her artwork. The outcome is the subject of her latest work, "Arcana," a large-scale sculptural installation consisting of motifs, patterns, and symbols embodying the complexities of her cultural identity and upbringing. It inaugurates the gallery's Atrium Projects program, showcasing site-specific works by emerging and established artists.

Artist’s website: michellesemami.com

"Arcana" by Michelle Emami (’20) is presented in partnership with the program in Painting and Drawing. Guest curated by Jillian Nakornthap (’11), Curator of Exhibitions, Chandler Museum and Vision Gallery, Chandler, Arizona. Support is provided by the Art Alliance, CSUF's Instructional Related Activities Grant, the College of the Arts, and the Department of Visual Arts.

MICHELLE EMAMI, "Arcana" (Detail), 2024, Foamboard, cellophane, monofilament. Courtesy of the artist.
 

Digital illustration of a building with sun in the background.

PAST FORWARD (REDUX)

November 2, 2024 – May 17, 2025
Public Reception: November 2, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

"PAST FORWARD (Redux)" is a re-interpretation and re-design of the 2023 exhibition, briefly showcased in the temporary quarters of the College of the Arts Office of the Dean. It celebrates the sublime blend of form, function, and creativity characterized by the midcentury architecture and aesthetics of Cal State Fullerton’s Visual Arts Complex. The exhibition looks back at the iconic and boundary-pushing design led by architect Thornton Abell (1906-1984) that defined the era of architectural excellence on campus. It consists of historical photographs from the J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute taken by renowned architectural photographer Julius Shulman, building renderings from the University’s Archives & Special Collections, and ephemera from Art, Design, & Architecture Museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara  With the advent of the Modernization Project scheduled to unveil new and updated grounds and facilities in 2024, "PAST FORWARD (Redux)" reflects on the enduring legacy of the University’s architectural and design blueprint and its possibilities for the future.

"PAST FORWARD (Redux)" is organized by CSUF Begovich Gallery and is curated by Marie-Andrée Chinchilla, BA in Art History (’23), and Enrique Del Rivero, BFA candidate in Illustration (’25). The project is supported by the Art Alliance, CSUF's Instructional Related Activities Grant, the College of the Arts, and the Department of Visual Arts.


Digital illustration by Enrique Del Rivero
 
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