Spring Break
Interzone's dynamic art evokes emotion
Employee's art provokes perfect contemplation
Anna Swain
Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: Diversions
Interzone has always been an interesting place to visit, with its unique drinks (cardamon and honey lattes), vegan cookies, friendly baristas and funky atmosphere. Also, if you get lucky, you may get a cool design swirled into the foam of your drink. But the most interesting thing about Interzone is the art they have on display, and the pieces up now are no exception.
The art currently up is by Lavanya Kruger, who is an employee at Interzone. The paintings are acrylics on canvas, with possibly some other mediums mixed in. The pieces are extremely interesting, since, like all good art should, they possess a dynamic quality. For example, when one first glances over the collection, it's easy to sort it into categories. The observer could say to themselves, "Well this one is most interesting, that one lacks something and I can't stand those." However, if you take some time to think and consider, your categories start to shift unexpectedly.
The piece that does this especially well is a painting of a woman's silhouette in transparent blue over rocks painted in greens, purples, blues, tans and browns. The piece has a feeling of flow and water, which is echoed by the silhouette in the way that it seems to be simultaneously separate from and flowing into its surroundings. When looking at the piece, one gets the sensation of gazing through water into the painting, and this creates a kind of restful, cooling effect. It's a truly beautiful painting.
Most interesting, however, is a large canvas hanging on the left wall. It is the last piece that you would naturally notice, but is well worth considering. It has a harsher quality than the other paintings, and uses a darker, deeper palette. Because of this, it is initially a little off-putting. It is very unique, however, and it achieves an edginess not found in the other canvases, adding to the intriguing quality of the subject.
The one area where the artist may have made a misstep is with a black and white canvas, which shows a woman's face and upper body in negative. This painting is overly dramatic and inconsistent with the rest of the group. One gets the impression that the painter was trying something new, and that it didn't quite work. The woman's features are strangely expressionless, to the point where it is not even possible to tell if the intended emotion is positive or negative. The artist's strong point seems to be use of color to create feeling, so to do something in black and white doesn't really make sense. However, the artist's skill comes through even in this painting, which is the weakest, with some interest being created through the use of black empty space.
All in all, the display has a great dynamic quality that makes the group fun to see. It's the perfect kind of art to have up in a coffee place, and it's definitely worth it to stop by Interzone and decide for yourself what you think. And even if the art's not your style, you'll still walk away with some really good coffee.
Anna Swain
diversions@dailybarometer.com
The art currently up is by Lavanya Kruger, who is an employee at Interzone. The paintings are acrylics on canvas, with possibly some other mediums mixed in. The pieces are extremely interesting, since, like all good art should, they possess a dynamic quality. For example, when one first glances over the collection, it's easy to sort it into categories. The observer could say to themselves, "Well this one is most interesting, that one lacks something and I can't stand those." However, if you take some time to think and consider, your categories start to shift unexpectedly.
The piece that does this especially well is a painting of a woman's silhouette in transparent blue over rocks painted in greens, purples, blues, tans and browns. The piece has a feeling of flow and water, which is echoed by the silhouette in the way that it seems to be simultaneously separate from and flowing into its surroundings. When looking at the piece, one gets the sensation of gazing through water into the painting, and this creates a kind of restful, cooling effect. It's a truly beautiful painting.
Most interesting, however, is a large canvas hanging on the left wall. It is the last piece that you would naturally notice, but is well worth considering. It has a harsher quality than the other paintings, and uses a darker, deeper palette. Because of this, it is initially a little off-putting. It is very unique, however, and it achieves an edginess not found in the other canvases, adding to the intriguing quality of the subject.
The one area where the artist may have made a misstep is with a black and white canvas, which shows a woman's face and upper body in negative. This painting is overly dramatic and inconsistent with the rest of the group. One gets the impression that the painter was trying something new, and that it didn't quite work. The woman's features are strangely expressionless, to the point where it is not even possible to tell if the intended emotion is positive or negative. The artist's strong point seems to be use of color to create feeling, so to do something in black and white doesn't really make sense. However, the artist's skill comes through even in this painting, which is the weakest, with some interest being created through the use of black empty space.
All in all, the display has a great dynamic quality that makes the group fun to see. It's the perfect kind of art to have up in a coffee place, and it's definitely worth it to stop by Interzone and decide for yourself what you think. And even if the art's not your style, you'll still walk away with some really good coffee.
Anna Swain
diversions@dailybarometer.com
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