Central Campus Main Gallery presents As the Grow Glows

A photographic series that speaks to the importance of educating ourselves on the impact of invasive plant species and the fragility of our ecosystem

 The San Jacinto College Central Campus Art Gallery opens As the Glow Grows on Oct. 9, featuring an ever-evolving photographic series by multi-disciplinary artist Venessa Monokian.

On view through Nov. 6, the works reflect a recent nature walk the artist took near her home in South Florida where she encountered what appeared to be a lush magical fairy forest. Rays of sunlight illuminated a boundless matrix of heart-shaped vines that found their way through every bush and palm extending to the highest peak of the canopy. What initially felt exciting and otherworldly took on an ominous tone, where the vines seemed to strangle the indigenous landscape she remembered from her childhood.

Through further research, she determined the vine to be the genus Dioscorea bulbifera, otherwise known as the air potato vine. Often cultivated for its beauty, the invasive species is capable of killing plants native to the region thus throwing off the balance of its natural state.

The spread of nonnative plants dates as far back to the beginnings of transatlantic colonization. To limit this spread, the United States restricts international travelers from bringing in outside agricultural products and many individual states like California, Florida and Texas prohibit the entry of certain foreign plants, trees and flowers across state lines. The introduction of invasive species is one of the top three reasons plants and animals go extinct. Without a trained eye, it would be difficult to differentiate native from invasive plant species.

In steps the artist, where her work aims to provide a deeper understanding of the impact invasive species have on our ecosystem. Black and white photographic images are enlarged to isolate the intruder vine and its innocent victim. In some instances, the artist makes careful cutouts of the plant species to promote a more sculptural effect. In both cases, the vine is either colorized or backlit with a chromatic hot pink as a toxic visual marker. 

“One of the many learning objectives in art and design courses here at San Jacinto College is to promote ‘close looking’ of an art object. In other words, we are instructing students to look beyond the surface of the work to understand the overall composition, design, intent, use of materials, and impact on culture; these works do all of that and more,” said Carmen Champion, gallery curator. “Students will be tasked with closely inspecting the works to identify the nonnative species while learning about their harmful impact, thus making them more aware of the fragility of our ecosystem.”

About the Artist

Venessa Monokian was born and raised in Miami, Florida earning her MFA from Florida International University. In 2011, she was featured in the WLRN documentary film Rising Tide: A Story of Miami Artists by Emmy award winning filmmaker Andrew Hevia. Monokian has shown her work internationally including Met/Gal in Austin, the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, Mac Fine Art in Fort Lauderdale, Academy of Fine Arts in Poland, Panal 361 Argentina and Mister Pink Galeria De Arte in Spain. In 2024 Venessa was selected to be a participant in the Artist INC program facilitated by Mid-America Arts Alliance. She currently lives and works in Houston, Texas where she is an active member of Box13 ArtSpace.

Exhibition:

Venessa Monokian: As the Grow Glows

Wednesday, Oct. 9– Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024

Artist Talk:

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 12 p.m.

Admission:

Free and open to the public

Location:

San Jacinto College Central Campus Art Gallery

8060 Spencer Highway

Pasadena, Texas 77505

C21.163

Contact:

Carmen Champion, director/curator

832-279-6229

centralgallery@sjcd.edu