Atopos Adaptation Opening Reception

Join us on 2nd Thursday at Crane Arts and get an inside look at Atopos Adaptation.

Featuring work by: Patti Dougherty, Marguerita Hagan, Thomas Murray, Michelle Rothwell, Teresa Shields, Rachel Blythe Udell

About the exhibition:

Atopos (Greek) - Out of place, unfitting. 

“Atopos Adaptation” is a multimedia exhibition featuring seven InLiquid Artist Members exploring life and form, and investigating the beauty, diversity, and uniqueness of organisms with whom we coexist. Using ecology as a point of inspiration, the artists in this exhibition blur the lines between the natural and artificial, and art and science. Searching for these connectors, a sentience reveals itself – the innate need to exist and grow, persisting in every symbiotic relationship, and bringing life to a once lifeless form. 

The work in this exhibition plays with themes of biomorphism, the design principle of forms reminiscent of living organisms. While not explicitly depicting an existing ecological element, each work displays signs of life through color, shape, and gestural movements. With a strong scientific background, interest, and curiosity, these artists have discovered that through their creative processes, they were unknowingly creating patterns found and extensively researched in math and science. In the dichotomy of intuitively creating life and discovering it through facts and research, we find evidence that we are more connected to the world than we realize. 

In Atopos Adaptation, pieces are displayed in a non-traditional and perhaps unexpected style. Rather than sculptures placed on pedestals, they are suspended from the ceiling and arranged in complementary disarray surrounding the 2-dimensional works. The viewer is encouraged to explore the relationships between the pieces just as much as observing the works as individual objects. Through this exploration, we aim to create symbiotic relationships between the work and the walls, referencing those found in nature. Therefore, the art is re-contextualized in our white-cube space as forms growing in the room as opposed to work placed on display. 

Learn more here.

The InLiquid Gallery is located within the Crane Arts Building, which is wheelchair accessible. There is limited accessible parking at the front of the building and a ramp leading to the main entrance. The main building door is not automated. Two all-gender bathrooms with multiple stalls are available for use — one with urinals, one without, and both with 1–2 wheelchair-accessible stall(s).