Manna Gallery presents A Sense of Place, featuring Olivia Meurk and Leon Wan, showcasing Meurk's meditative and educational exploration of the natural world and Wan's dynamic blend of collage and sculpture that reflects the everyday.
Olivia Meurk's work delves into the natural world, inspired by her love for biology, particularly Conchology, Botany, and Geology. Her art-making is both a meditative and educational journey, encouraging engagement with nature. Each piece in her Observations; Diary series captures the essence of the places she has observed over recent years, reflecting the love and care she has encountered. Through meticulous observational drawing, Meurk aims to convey her reciprocal affection, inviting viewers to share in her appreciation and curiosity for nature's intricate beauty.
Leon Wan's artwork explores themes of observation, landscape, and the everyday. Using a mix of precise and unpredictable visuals, he captures moments through a kaleidoscopic lens. Wan combines found materials with fine art supplies, creating a dynamic interplay of chaos and calm. His work reflects a personal mental landscape, filled with distorted yet meaningful depictions of life. This approach results in pieces that are messy, chaotic, and melancholic, yet also calming and liberating, inviting viewers into a space for conversation and reflection.
Olivia Meurk (she/her) is a visual artist, born and based in San Francisco, California. She recently graduated from the California College of the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. Her practice is centered around observation and time; utilizing the methods and standards of natural science illustration to preserve and catalog subjective details of the natural world. Meurk finds much of her subject matter in and around the bay area, with recent travels to Ireland, through the Burren College of Art, and Iceland, through the CCA summer abroad program. She focuses on media common in the practices of natural science and medical illustration such as watercolor painting, traditional, and digital drawing, followed by high resolution scanning and digital touch-ups, prioritizing an observational, clear, and understandable style that amalgamates into portraits of these plant, shell, and rock subjects. Meurk is set to begin a certification program in Natural Science Illustration at California State University, Monterey Bay next fall.
Website: www.oliviameurk.com
Leon Wan (he/they) is a visual artist focusing on collage, animation, and sculpture. His work is driven by observation, the kaleidoscopic, the mundane, and the everyday. Leon received a BFA in Individualized Studies from California College of the Arts with a minor in Writing and Literature. He has exhibited within shows that stem from his institution, presenting work in his Junior exhibition, Strange Forms, and his Senior thesis exhibition, Endless Navigator. Leon’s writing has been featured in class-sponsored zines revolving around Black experimental narratives, which have circulated throughout San Francisco and East Bay bookstores. Currently, Leon is seeking to create and display work that balances the casual and mundane with abstract fine art.
Instagram: @leonjet_wan
Website: leonjetwan.com
A Sense of Place
Olivia Meurk & Leon Wan
July 27 - Sept 7, 2024
Artists’ Reception & Talk:
Saturday, August 10, 2-4 pm
Open First Fridays:
Aug 2 & Sept 6, 5-8 pm
Gallery Hours:
Saturdays, 12-5 pm
First Fridays, 5-8 pm
Manna Gallery
473 25th St Oakland Ca 94612 | info@mannagallery.com | 510 905 6330
Saturday 12 - 5 pm · First Fridays 5 - 8 pm
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