"Process Art" Exhibits at Avalon Island
Johann Eyfells and Amjad Jamal Showcase New Work
Apr 23, 2009
Internationally recognized artist Johann Eyfells, of Johnson City, Texas, retired from teaching art at the University of Central Florida in 2002, and has come back for this show. He continues to explore the nature of "receptualism," a neologism he coined to explain the process by which a material receives unseen forces and substances, which result in his incredible, organic images and forms.
An internationally known artist, Eyfells is perhaps the only one today pushing the frontier of chance that artist Marcel Duchamp opened up in 1913 with his "Three Standard Stoppages." Both Eyfells' paper series, which he entitles with another neologism, "Collapsion," and his metal sculpture, an untitled series, take their process from a unique philosophical stance towards art and material, and the nature of chance in art. Receptualism's theoretical basis is highly consistent between the two mediums, and the rigor of his argument is contrasted with the delicately dematerialized art. By keeping his forms simple, the inner essence of the art is allowed to breathe, and a brightness exists with each piece of work he has created.
Winter Park Artist Ajmad Jamal Exhibits Downtown Orlando
Ajmad Jamal, by contrast, is working in a traditional sense by developing female portraiture and abstract expressionism, and his own background informs the process to create flat, almost mural-like images that look as though layered over time. Process is implied by the rough texture of the ground, and layers are emphasized by peeling back colors and textures, or perhaps applying them thinly enough to show previously applied colors.
His female portraits gaze serenely without expression, and his abstract works are soft buildups of colors that resist any specific reading. Taken together, Jamal's work has a fine, painterly feeling without a strong emotional engagement, allowing the viewer to have his own reading of the art.
The Process of Art is Forefront in this Show
The exhibit "Process Art" takes two opposite approaches, and showcases them together. Eyefells' process, a meticulously documented, scientific exploration, imbues the subtle forms and shapes with meaning that is less about the artist and more about the exploration of deeper questions of the nature of chance. Jamal's process, a self-described combination of technique with dreams, impressions, and reality, is derived more from an unconscious exploration of self. Both together make a fine show and touch the viewer in different ways.
"Process Art" will be at the Gallery at Avalon Island through May 15. Viewers who are interested in the thought process and the procedures by which fine art is made should not miss this exhibit.
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