Fredericton’s Gallery Connexion on York Street welcomed Prague native and Sainte-Marthe, Quebec resident Lenka Novakova last Thursday night for an opening of her Rivers and Skies exhibit, a showcase inspired by the manipulative flowing and bending of light beams through cone-shaped objects made from glass and fishing line.
Using a pair of projectors and over a dozen hand-strung light receptacles, Novakova’s exhibition turns Connexion’s dark gallery into an impressive morphing light show of blue and white circular shapes.
Her intention is to objectify light in an active physical sphere – to create a commonality between the visual and physical. She uses the cones as an indicator of time as the auras flow up and down the hollow bodies.
“This work is concerning water and is dealing with [its] flow…and the flow of time and contemplation through this abstract representation,” she said. “It’s like a container, and when you think of time, it’s something that goes forward.
“When you shine the projectors through these cones the concept of time literally spirals through [them.] The reason we see spirals is because of the conical shape – if it was a flat screen we wouldn’t see the three dimensional shape.”
Novakova said while she finds specific meaning in her artwork, she wants her observers to draw their own conclusions.
“I like to present an experience rather than an artwork that is a complete package, so I leave the concepts open so people can form their own ideas and memories.”
Novakova’s exhibit runs until Dec. 1 at Gallery Connexion.
