New Herron School exhibit includes more than 4,000 balloons and a swarm of houseflies
A new exhibition highlights sculptural practices that incorporate non-traditional materials, kinetic parts and unusual installations.
The exhibit, "David Bowen and Jason Hackenwerth," is open now through March 7 in the Eleanor Prest Reese & Robert B. Berkshire Galleries at the Herron School of Art and Design on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Advanced technology is the hallmark of Bowen's inventive pieces, which explore the synergies between art and science. The exhibition includes Swarm, an autonomous roaming device whose movements are determined by dozens of houseflies housed inside the device itself.
Bowen received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 2004 and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Herron School of Art and Design in 1999. He is currently an assistant professor of art and design at University of Minnesota, Duluth. Bowen's work is collected and exhibited internationally, including showings at the Vitenfabrikken Science Center, Stavanger, Norway; the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit; and the Central European Cultural Institute, Budapest, Hungary.
Hackenwerth creates his unique, large-scale works with his staple choice of material: latex balloons. Hackenwerth is debuting a new sculptural installation, Cochleapod, designed and created specifically for this exhibition and gallery space. Cochleapod is made up of more than 4,000 balloons.
Hackenwerth lives and works in New York City. He received his BFA from Webster University, St. Louis, in 1993 and his MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2003. He travels extensively exhibiting his creations internationally, including the Jang Heung Art Museum, Seoul, Korea; Peabody Museum, New Haven, Conn.; and Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, Calif.
The Herron Galleries are located at the Herron School of Art and Design on the IUPUI campus, 735 W. New York St., Indianapolis. Exhibitions in the Herron Galleries are free and open to the public.
The Herron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University and Indiana's only professional school of art and design, is nationally recognized by U.S. News and World Report, ranking 45th among 300 art and design schools nationwide.
Herron enrolls more than 900 students in bachelor's and master's degree programs including fine arts, visual communication design, visual art, art education and art history. Herron is also home to the Herron Galleries, which exhibit contemporary works of art by regional and national artists, and the Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life, which enriches educational and interdisciplinary activities through civic engagement and community partnerships.
Visit www.herron.iupui.edu for more information.
