Spellbound Crowd Greets Latest Gallery Exhibit

Published 03.15.2016

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The Gallery at Penn College

A first for The Gallery at Penn College: The exhibit title is displayed on the glass entryway instead of a wall inside the space. The artist, second from right, discusses “The Clearing” with engaged educators and artists. The 18’ x 12’ work of stoneware and cast crystal arrived for installation in 120 wooden boxes. Tales of transformation include “Septimo Vitae,” a mixed-media piece of alabaster, artist’s blood, silver and clear crystal. A large crowd listens intently to Barboza-Gubo’s talk near the work “Cervus, Purificatio,” created of cast aluminum and standing on a granite tombstone. “Flux” features a stoneware bust gazing into 30 watercolor “reflections” changing shape throughout a metaphorical month. Tales of transformations engaged visitors to The Gallery at Penn College on Tuesday night for the opening of “IntusExternus,” an exhibit showcasing artist Juan José Barboza-Gubo's impressive range of skills. An art professor at Rhode Island College and native of Peru, the artist is exhibiting two series together for the first time – “Pink Narcissus” and “Cruor-Proelium-Cervus.” Both explorations in self-discovery mesmerized gallery-goers with Barboza-Gubo’s dexterity in ceramic, cast glass, cast aluminum, alabaster, silver, oil on canvas and mixed media on paper, as well as the intimate storytelling shown in his works. The artist shared various accounts of his process, including a past performance in which he crawled naked through a ceramic work called “The Clearing” in his ongoing efforts to merge nature and self. The exhibit will run through April 22 during regular gallery hours. (The gallery will be closed March 25-27.)