“Katrina Bello: 40,000 Tons” Art Exhibition at Caldwell University Opens Feb. 1

The Mueller Gallery at Caldwell University is pleased to present “Katrina Bello: 40,000 Tons” opening Feb. 1 and running through Feb. 28. An artist’s talk will be held Wednesday, Feb. 1, 5-6 p.m. with the opening reception:  6-8 p.m.  The exhibit and events are free and open to the public.

In her artist’s statement, Katrina Bello explains that the title of the exhibition, “40,000 Tons,” refers to the volume of cosmic dust that falls on planet Earth annually. Bello says that in addition to counting on photography, botany, and research in Earth sciences, she began looking in the last three years into astronomy and astrogeology and especially images sourced from NASA land- and space-based observatories. Bello says that while becoming more interested in the physical sources of her subjects, she also became more intrigued with abiogenesis, a theory of the genesis of Earth.

Suzanne Kammin Baron, the director of the Mueller Gallery, says that cosmic dust became for Bello a metaphor for her process of working with crushed pastel powder on paper. Bello says she finds this medium to be a focused and tactile way of representing the patterns and forms found in tree bark, rocks, and ocean waters. Baron also describes Bello as using scale—making work that measures 5 by 8 inches or 5 by 8 feet—to create for the viewer either a sense of monumentality or intimacy in relation to the landscape.

Bello says that when she is in the studio, questions about her place, effect and purpose in the natural world occupy her thoughts. These questions, she explains, come from her experience of migrating from coastal environments in the Philippines that have undergone dramatic change and where some parts no longer exist.

---