“Mourning:” War and women’s rights through a feminist lens
Angel Lesnikowski’s art exhibition titled “Mourning” is on display until Friday, Oct. 25. The exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays.
Every year there are four student art exhibitions held in the Phebe Conley Art Gallery, showcasing the talents and hard work of art students. This October, the work of Lesnikowski was put on display as part of her thesis. Lesnikowski is finishing her masters in art at Fresno State and is hoping to pursue a career in art.
This experience takes you through the modern issues of war, women’s rights and oppression through depictions of nature, weapons and humans. Lesnikowski used oil on canvas and mixed media to create this dark, yet colorfully detailed post-apocalyptic atmosphere.
“My work looks very colorful with high contrast of subjects,” Lesnikowski said. “From darker creatures to very bright, colorful landscapes. Like Lisa Frank threw up on a canvas.”
Little girls, plants and animals are some of the main subjects of her exhibit. The female figures in her artwork represent all women, with their clothing resembling mourning clothes. Vultures are another example of the intricate symbolism in her artwork, symbolizing death and the end.
“Vultures, to me, are an omen of the grim reaper’s coming, or they’re grim reapers themselves,” Lesnikowski said. “When I see them I get very intimidated, and I think of them as a negative omen…I wanted to envelop the viewer in that, where they’re standing in the middle of them and basically being surrounded by the vultures.”
She has noticed that paintings in the exhibit spark strong emotions in viewers, something that she is very proud of.
“As you walk through the exhibit, you see how death can happen,” Lesnikowski said. “Either it’s women’s rights or it’s war. And you go through and you meet the grim reaper multiple times.”
As you walk through the gallery you notice pink airplanes overhead, adding to the element of war and womanhood. A gloomy doom metal song plays, building onto the heavy atmosphere while complimenting the material of the artwork. Towards the back of the exhibit, a white casket looms in the center of a darkly lit room, another reminder of death.
As the art transitions from the pink paintings to dark, desolate desert landscapes, you face Lesnikowski’s biggest fear: darkness.
“I placed my self portrait, my casket, in the center of the room,” she said. “I wanted to show you my worst fear, which is dying in the dark. I’m deathly afraid of the dark. I had the viewer come to terms with that.”
Lesnikowski had many sources of inspiration for her artwork. Her process involved listening to various types of media from metal music to informational podcasts about war and women’s issues.
The inspiration for the figures in her paintings and their clothing came from different books from Germany and the 1950s. One girl in particular was modeled off of her friend’s daughter.
While listening to a Palestinian podcast, she was inspired to create her painting titled “Free Palestine.”
With paintings titled “IVF Battle Ground,” the “Verdict of Oppression” and “Duality of War” you can see where Lesnikowski’s activism is directed. Through her work as an artist, she aims to inspire change and bring awareness to these issues.
The paintings are also on sale for willing buyers, with the proceeds for some paintings going to charity.
For more information check the Phebe Conley Art Gallery’s webpage or find Lesnikowski on Instagram and her website.
