OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, MARCH 3RD
BRUNCH
GABS CONWAY X EMILY MULVANEY
A playful approach to physicality and existence
These bodies of work are in conversation with each other. Similarities in form and color introduce connection, while nuances within the artists’ approach tilt towards a feeling of unease.
Much like a shared meal at a transitional time of day; this is a gathering. A nonconventional meeting where we lean into tension, curiosity and awkwardness. A blending of moments to describe a middle ground, fitting for this merging of worlds.
Welcome to BRUNCH
GABS CONWAY
About Me
Gabs Conway is ceramic artist born in the Midwest but grew up in Missoula, MT. Gabs obtained her BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics at the University of Wisconsin - Stout. She holds a strong connection with sculpting but has a familiar relationship with wheel throwing and functional pottery.
My work stems from the curiosity of existence. I’ve grown ever fond of the human experience as it relates to the mundane. However, most of all I’m interested in softness. In this I explore the vulnerability of humanity down to its very core; meeting new people, helping a sibling, protecting a friend. I am interested in these moments of life that let you reconnect with living. It is in these moments of my own existence I reflect upon; while looking apathetically at the “reality” that we have built. I attune my forms to relate to our physicality. We are so prone to injury as we slowly evolve to lose specific organs, while growing more susceptible to disease. I am creating forms for the reflection of human experience; asking the viewer to consider their appreciation of life, and to humble the adornment of our physicality. I question the audience what it means to exist together in an ever changing world.
EMILY MULVANEY
UMT MFA CANDIDATE
About Me
Emily Mulvaney is an interdisciplinary sculptor from Minnesota. From a young age, she has been intrigued by and found grounding in scientific inquiry. Originally set out to pursue a career in the medical industry, things shifted when her passion for art consumed her. Emily focused on building a studio practice and received her BFA from North Dakota State University in 2019. Until recently, art and science lived as separate entities in her life. She is currently exploring the merging of these two fields while working towards an MFA in sculpture at the University of Montana, Missoula.
My practice is an exploration into the microbial universe and its relation to self. These sculptures are inspired by factual and aesthetic aspects of microbiology as a manner of making the unseen, seen. By experimenting with surface, weight and scale, I’m abstracting these invisible structures and beings into a corporeal realm to prompt associations to the body. I utilize soft forms to create a physical presence and pair them with materials like metal and glass to hint at a sterile, laboratory environment; the place where one can intentionally engage with and study this minuscule world. Bringing this imagery into our reality challenges what we know and how we feel about this complex, fundamental system. My work is rooted in a personal fascination with the peculiar world of microorganisms and my unease with its vastness. These pieces push to question our perception of physicality and recognize life that exists outside of what we can see with the naked eye.
