The work of four illustrators visits the Zacks Gallery at Stong College with Fat Lines: A Drawing Exhibition
Sarah Ciantar
Contributor
Fat Lines: A Drawing Exhibition showcases the work of four illustrators. John Janas, Ron Maloku, Alex Curci, and Mike Mclnroy present a shared ability to use the media of illustration, animation, and drawing to create powerful, interesting, and ultimately effective works. The exhibition, currently running at the Samuel J. Zacks Gallery, presents works with an expressive, attention-grabbing style.
Co-director of the gallery, Stas Guzar, explains that what interested him in hosting this exhibition was to bring recognition to up-and-coming artists.
“I feel as though drawing and illustration don’t get the attention they deserve, and can get lost amongst the other mediums,” Guzar explains. To him, each artist’s work is special in its own way.
Comic-book-style pieces are among the works Guzar focused on for the show. He was drawn to the works of Curci because of his ability to use this style and present, as Guzar describes it, “a duality in the image of technology and raw organics.” Located along the western wall, his ink and watercolour work presents many abstract concepts and depicts futuristic technologies.
The works of Janas, located along the southern wall, consist of pop-cultural icons in watercolour and comic book visual narratives. The calm colour scheme in contrast with the vibrancy of the bold black lines appeal to the viewer.
Mclnroy’s work further adds to the show’s atmosphere with his cartoon style and effective use of bold black ink. He presents interesting and humorous subjects in his works, including a modern-day take on the Three Little Pigs.
Presented along the northern wall are captivating images produced with India ink in an expressionistic style. The works of Maloku are powerful because of the unsettling feeling they create within the viewer.
“I particularly like the raw emotion these images create,” comments Guzar. “I find them effective in creating this raw emotion as a result of the loose stylistic essence Maloku used to produce them.” These works are powerful and appealing as a result of the grotesque images which captivate and intrigue the viewer.
Guzar describes the exhibition as “more conceptual than visual.” The works as a whole are effective because they are relatable on a universal level. This show allowed for a spotlight to be put on works that are bold and intriguing.
