By Olivia Turner | Staff Writer
While the Baylor Bears are away, the city of Waco continues to stay busy through the summer, and that goes for its blooming art community too. For art enthusiasts who remain in Waco through this sweltering season, Art Center Waco will provide plenty of paintings, sculptures and installations created by artists Ty Nathan Clark and Vy Ngo.
The exhibition, dubbed “Of Warm Impermanence,” will run from May 26 to July 22, presenting themes of triumphs, failures and traumas which have occurred throughout the artists’ lives, according to exhibition artist Ty Nathan Clark. The exhibition is also a chance for the two to express their friendship and camaraderie which has lasted over a decade, Clark said.
Clark said his works are not shy of variety, using anything from plaster to cement and chunks of charcoal to bright acrylic paints in his creations.
“I can’t even tell you the number of medium elements I have within this show, but from every piece, there could be six to 20 layers of different things within it all,” Clark said.
Clark said his portion of the exhibition will likely include a large-scale sculpture along with his brightly-colored canvases, the first he has attempted so far. He said he likes to use affordable, found items like plaster and wire to create striking pieces like this white, flowery one. Sometimes, he even uses wood or plastic, he said.
Clark’s many mediums will be joined by Ngo’s radiant works, which even Clark said he is unsure of which will be selected for the exhibition. Two-person exhibitions can be can be tricky, but Clark said he thinks he and Ngo have done a really great job of complementing each other’s works.
“It’s two artists trying to tell one story through their work, even though it’s two different stories, trying to really make things flow throughout the space and not look too separate,” Clark said. “It’s been a lot of talking through ideas and then just letting our brains go for it.”
One of the ideas which helped to give the exhibition shape was its name, Clark said. He said the title “Of Warm Impermanence” is a reference to David Bowie’s “Changes,” which sings of the fleeting nature of ripples of water in a stream. Clark said like these waves, the bits of memories and emotions which inspired many of the pieces in the exhibition have dissipated, but still have made a lasting impact on himself and Ngo.
To get the full experience and more context on the pieces, Clark said he recommends attending the opening reception on May 26.
Art Center Waco board member and co-curator, Dr. Jane Damron, has helped to make possible together with her fellow co-curator, Morgan Eyring. Damron said guests can expect a relaxed evening of mingling with fellow art lovers and learning more from Clark and Ngo themselves about the story behind their pieces, complete with refreshments.
“Their paintings are dynamic and emotive, and I’m constantly struck by the depth of meaning that lies behind each piece and title,” Damron said. “As someone who teaches and studies interpersonal communication, I admire the ways they support and sharpen each other as artists.”
Even for those who are not familiar with art, this exhibition would make the perfect first encounter, Clark said. He said one of his hopes for the exhibition is that guests walk away reflecting on their own lives and memories, both good and bad.
