New Arrivals 2019 from September 11th to October 20th, 2019 at The Stamp Gallery | University of Maryland, College Park | Written by Balbina Yang

The beauty of an artwork not only lies in its message, but also in its medium. In fact, the medium may be the thing that gives an artwork its meaning. Such an effect is true in multiple works in New Arrivals 2019. From 3,180 KM by Lester Rodriguez to Steel Face and Concrete Bend by Letha Wilson, the natural materialities of the artworks evoke messages that can be appreciated and, consequently, internalized by anyone who witnesses them. 

In 3,180 KM, Rodriguez utilizes wood in two styles: larger pieces that form the base atop which toothpicks are inserted. The artwork itself illuminates the themes of immigration. The number, 3,180 KM is the distance of the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Obviously, these themes are rather grim as they are relevant in today’s society. However, Rodriguez decides to use toothpicks, a structure which are structurally thin as well as traditionally flimsy. By utilizing a weaker style of wood, Rodriguez emphasizes the precarious situation that the border presents to both immigrants and non-immigrants. Yet, these toothpicks are supported by the larger blocks of wood beneath. Not only that, there are not just one or two toothpicks, there are so many that the work itself seems to be made of a solid plane of toothpicks. 

By contrasting the styles of wood and their respective durabilities, Rodriguez presents an aesthetic that supports the fact that although the border may be a precarious situation, it is very much present and will always be. 

Rodriguez isn’t the only artist to use natural materials to convey the message in their artwork. In Steel Face and Concrete Bend, Wilson forces viewers to contemplate the relationship of the two sides of nature: natural and manmade. The work features a photograph of leaves juxtaposed to swatches of concrete and strips of steel. Concrete is made up of natural sand and gravel mixed with water and chemical additives. Steel, too, may seem natural but is actually synthetic. The photograph may seem natural because it shows leaves, entities that exist in the natural world. However, the photograph is manmade not just through its practice, which people have cultivated throughout history, but also through its materiality. By flipping back and forth from natural and manmade materials, Wilson ponders the connection between two worlds that we, as viewers, seldom step back to think about. In a sense, Wilson inverts the meaning of natural objects by giving them an artificial one, and vice versa. 

Both 3,180 KM and Steel Face and Concrete Bend are powerful pieces that force us as viewers to take a look at the world through its material values. While the artworks may seem simplistic in terms of the number of materials used, the way that they are styled to create a cohesive argument is what makes the pieces stand out. In fact, if 3,180 KM wasn’t made of wood, much less toothpicks, and if Steel Face and Concrete Bend wasn’t made up of photographs, steel, and concrete, the meanings of each may not be as powerful as they are now. 

Lester Rodriguez’s and Letha Wilson’s works are included in New Arrivals 2019 at The Stamp Gallery of the University of Maryland, College Park, from September 11th to October 20th, 2019.