NDSU senior Ari Gurkanlar has planned his baccalaureate art show for May 19-28 at the Memorial Union Art Gallery. Gurkanlar, a Minneapolis native, will display his show “Who Arted” in partial fulfillment of his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the visual arts. A reception is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“To me, my art is an extension of my mind and heart. It is literally my thoughts and emotions and beliefs spilling out onto the paper or canvas into the form of tangible color, shape and form,” Gurkanlar said.
The exhibit consists of 36 drawings and paintings depicting social issues in the interpretation of comic-style pop art. Gurkanlar found his inspiration in pop artists like Roy Liechtenstein and James Rosenquist, as well in many comic book artists like John Krickfalusi, Jim Davis, Seth MacFarlane, Joe Murray and Carl Greenblatt. “Their use of color, bold forms and straight-on composition is what intrigues me the most in creating my own style of this art,” Gurkanlar said.
Gurkanlar plans to attend the UCLA Animation Workshop Master of Fine Arts program in Los Angeles in September.
For more information, contact the Memorial Union Gallery at 1-7900, or visit www.ndsu.edu/mu/programs/gallery.