Amidst from April 12, 2021 to May 15, 2021 at The Stamp Gallery | University of Maryland, College Park | Written by Helen Feng

Walking past the gallery, it is hard not to be captivated by the artwork in the Admist exhibition. Including piles of paper, castings that look like lips, and piles of fibers on the floor, this exhibit is far from conventional. The massive, colorful sculpture titled Transition/ Resurrection by Martin Gonzales is enthralling and takes you back to a time when you felt young and free.

With brightly colored flags and crisscrossing planks, the artist created a dome that feels like a contraption that a child would climb all over, and then safely play inside without any worries of growing older. Gonzales describes this work as a way of him trying to build a shelter in this inarguably imperfect world that we live in. His work reflects the way he has to become a parent to himself while protecting the child inside of himself. 

Looking at this work excites the inner child in yourself, the one that feels like it left a long time ago, but really they just have not been out to play in a while. Gonzales uses red alphabet letters to create a playful sense as they are scattered all over the piece. After viewing this piece, it almost feels like you forgot colors could be this vibrant and that so many colors exist. 

For more information on Amidst and related events, visit https://thestamp.umd.edu/stamp_gallery.