Available Space Art Projects (ASAP) recently showcased "ag.gre.gate," a two-person exhibition by artists Mary Sabo and Jim White. The show explored the intricate world of collage, featuring an eclectic mix of drawings, transfers onto stones, found objects, and surreal landscapes and figurative creations. This exploration was not just a visually interesting but a philosophical journey into the elements that constitute our reality.

Artists and Their Inspirations

Mary Sabo, a visual artist and arts administrator based in Las Vegas, Nevada, is renowned for her versatility in various artistic modes, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. Her art is deeply influenced by themes of dirt, rituals, and surrealism, often reflecting fantasies, nostalgia, and a yearning for lost worlds that are accessible only through intangible means. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Sabo's work has been showcased throughout the Mojave Desert and beyond, bringing a unique blend of personal and cultural narratives to life.

Jim White brings a unique perspective to the exhibition with his fascination for the absurdity of blending in and the spectacle of identity loss. His work is a humorous yet poignant commentary on societal norms, often described as "sterile breadcrumbs bookended by trauma and comedy." White's art traps viewers in a world of inside jokes, easing the loss of identity like an earth mover, while providing a heavy-handed premonition humored by acceptance.

The Artistic Concept of "ag.gre.gate"

The exhibition title, "ag.gre.gate," hints at the idea of bringing together disparate elements to form a whole, much like the process of creating collages. The artists employ a combination of digital and tangible mediums to craft layered compositions that speak to the multifaceted nature of reality.

Artistic Elements:

Layered Digital Collages: Photos, drawings, scanned materials, and sourced images are digitally manipulated and transferred onto various materials, creating a dialogue between the digital and the tangible.
Found Objects and Natural Elements: The integration of concrete, wood, stones, and other found objects adds a tactile dimension to the works, grounding the ethereal digital images in the physical world.
Surreal Landscapes and Figurative Creations: Both artists explore strange and fantastical landscapes, populated with surreal figures that invite viewers into an otherworldly experience.

The exhibition's description poetically outlines the evolutionary journey of elements, starting from warmth, moving through air, water, and finally reaching the mineral earth, embodying a sense of cyclical transformation. This narrative aligns with the spiritual perspective shared by Michael Jones in his 1983 work, Nuclear Energy, A Spiritual Perspective, which reflects on the subtle elemental conditions of existence and consciousness.

The thematic resonance of "ag.gre.gate" lies in its ability to merge the tangible and the intangible, the past and the present, the ordinary and the extraordinary. Sabo and White's works act as romantic vignettes on aggregate, presenting fantasies in remnants that evoke a sense of timelessness and continuity.

Visitors to the exhibition were invited to reflect on their own perceptions of reality and the elements that constitute their world. The interplay between digital and physical mediums challenges traditional boundaries of art, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the complexity and beauty of aggregate forms.