More stories to tell: three artists get ready for new Waterworks exhibit
Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 6, 2024
Paula Smith stands next to her statues that she calls, "Happy." Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Smith says this particular torso took her much longer to finish due to all of the different pieces needed for it. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Smith's vases have been inspired by her everyday life and some by some of her students. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Giordano Angeletti stands on one of his photographs. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Angeletti has miniatures of ruins at his gallery at Waterworks. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Angeletti says he does't use photoshop that much in his work. “As much as photoshop is an amazing tool, I wanted something to be real.” Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
SALISBURY — Waterworks Visual Arts Center is gearing up for another new exhibit that will allow patrons to learn something new about themselves while engaging with three different, but distinctive artists.
On Jan. 12, Waterworks will be hosting an opening reception for their new exhibit, “Art for All: Engage. Connect. Participate.” It will include three artists showcasing a multitude of photographs, ceramics and paintings in order to share with the world their own idiosyncratic voice.
Giordano Angeletti grew up in Rome and has studied photography since he was 14. He currently works and lives in Columbia, S.C., where he teaches at the University of South Carolina as a professor of photography. “Imaginary Views,” his first gallery since 2019, is a series of black and white photographs that all have a miniature object juxtaposed out in nature or next to some kind of building or structure.
“A lot of it started with an exploration of spaces around me and then I started exploring other people’s spaces with my boxes of miniatures and my cameras and started moving around,” Angeletti said. “Toys allow you full control. As a child, when you were playing, you were the all powerful, all mighty controller of what happened.”
In the corner of the room where his photos hang on the walls, lie several of his miniatures set up to demonstrate a more tactile version of his work. These range from Roman ruins to park benches and trees. Angeletti describes this as a “story within a story.”
“Even if somebody walks away with a smile and a giggle, I’m good with that,” Angeletti said.
Waterworks also isn’t afraid to have more challenging works of art at the museum. Ceramic torsos decorated in a variety of ways that touch upon subjects like marriage, fertility and memories are a component to artist and Central Piedmont Community College professor Paula Smith’s “HerStory” gallery. In addition to her torso artwork, Smith has statues and vases on display at Waterworks as well. Smith was inspired by her daughter’s dolls and her torsos each have a message that people can absorb while studying them.
“They all have their own little stories. Some of the pieces I’m interested in people understanding the stories, then other pieces, I just want people to come, look at them and find out what it means to them,” Smith said. “There’s some controversy with these pieces because it is objectifying the female form. These pieces are about identity…I am trying to talk about identity, self expression, storytelling and narratives.”
James Keul’s gallery is entitled “Between Will and What Will Be” and will involve “paintings and works on paper.” According to his website, Keul specializes in “large-scale paintings, landscapes, works on paper with a focus on climate change and environmental stewardship.”
