February 10 marked the grand opening of the artNOW Baltimore exhibit in Washington College’s Kohl Gallery, featuring the work of five artists who all call Baltimore home. The artists—who include Christian Benefiel, Leslie Furlong, Andrew Liang, Rene Trevino, and Karen Yasinky—presented work spanning an exciting range of media, from film art and photography to painting and electro-mechanical sculpture.
The latter art form can be seen in action in the below video, as sculptor Benefiel explains the inspiration and intended meaning of his 2001 work “The Efficacy of Wishing”. Constructed from wood, dacron, steel, cast iron, and an automated blower system, this piece playfully realizes the desire for instant gratification behind the act of wishing. Fully interactive, “The Efficacy of Wishing” invites gallery goers to “blow a wish” into an electronic sensor that translates breathe heat and pressure into fan generated wind within the main structure.
artNOW Baltimore was curated by Cara Ober and Alex Castro and will be running until March 30. Future artNOW exhibits aim to include artists from Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.
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