Student works bridge gap between USC and art world

Quietly tucked behind Chano’s Drive-In on Flower street lies the Graduate Fine Arts Building, an off-campus extension of the Roski School of Fine Arts.

And although the structure remains relatively unassuming to bystanders, it is a haven for art lovers; housing a plethora of media and services that extend to more than just its students and faculty.

“It is a space for grad students and alumni to come and work,” said Roski lab technician Morgan Cuppet-Michelsen. “But when we bring in outside artists into the school, it is also where students can begin to develop relationships with these artists.”

For outside and emerging artists, such as Otis College of Art and Design graduates Nathan Hess and Kelly Akashi, the few galleries located in the Graduate Fine Arts Building, particularly 3001 Gallery and the newly installed STATION, are exciting platforms for them to showcase their work.

Currently, both Hess and Akashi have ongoing installations at these galleries.

Hess’ exhibit, “Modified Body,” highlights the disfigurement of dog skulls through the use of different mediums such as sculpture and inkjet prints. The exhibit can be seen at STATION, which opened this past summer.

Hess’ vision goes beyond just altered perceptions of animal skulls. The exhibit strives for a deeper understanding of the viewer’s relationship with technology, as well as the changes in modes of production upon entering an unforeseeable era.

“As we attempt to enter an information age, labor, both manual and intellectual, is undergoing a cultural value shift. I’m inspired by luddism, but I am absolutely a futurist,” Hess said. “My question is: What craft does the craftsman pick up when his trade becomes obsolete?”

The minimalist nature of the installation leaves a more powerful impression for each selected piece and more room for Hess’ message to be conveyed.

“The prints and sculpture that I’m exhibiting are physical products, but the real material of this project is data,” Hess said.

In conjunction, Akashi’s exhibit, “Silver Strand,” featured at 3001 Gallery, also located in the Graduate Fine Arts Building, showcases a series of inkjet drawings that spotlights Southern Californian architecture.

Akashi’s awareness of the architectural enclaves she has encountered in the city is evident through the clean and structural lines she incorporates in the designs.

According to Akashi, the subject matter in the work is inspired by the residential community in Southern California, which contains some extreme examples of mixed architecture.

“I wanted to see if, through translating the architectural elements into different mediums, I could define this pastiche as a style unto itself,” Akashi said.

In addition to the drawings, Akashi’s placement of a stark white cylindrical sculpture protruding out from a flat wall adds an unexpected finishing touch to her quirky installment.

“This exhibition is not trying to fit into any single niche or genre,” Akashi said. “This is not intended as an attempt to be ambiguous, but rather to be something familiar yet complicated. Simplicity is a construct.”

Despite being two distinct and separate installations, Hess’ and Akashi’s conceptualized exhibits  complement each other.

“Both of our projects are dealing quite directly with mass-customization, but of course in different ways,” Hess said.

Cuppet-Michelsen agrees, adding that the two installations share a commonality.

“The exhibits look like they can be related to each other,” Cuppet-Michelsen said. “They’re both on facades, and customizing your environment and developing your style from sourcing.”

For Hess, having the ability to display his art in one of the galleries has been a worthwhile experience.

“As an emerging artist I really appreciate this sort of academic ‘off-space’ because it was both a manageable task to fill it, and well-managed in general,” Hess said.

Although the exhibits exude a minimalism and starkness that might be mistaken for simplicity, these young artists contain a vision that is anything but simple.

The installations will run until Feb. 16 and both artists will hold a moderated discussion on their collections with a reception at the Graduate Fine Arts Building on Wednesday at 6 p.m.