Nika Blasser

Swimming in Saltwater delves into the interplay of positive and negative spaces, the forms created by shadows and their absences, and the abstractions arising when bodies are removed from their usual context. The work in this exhibition combines multiple material explorations that mine overlapping concepts that highlight the fragility, transience, and beauty of nature.

The featured artworks span different media, with a focal point on the Saltwater Shadow Hands series. These works showcase expressive hand shapes meticulously cut from salt- encrusted crystallized paper. Additionally, there will be an installation component made for the Dalles Art Center, accompanied by several framed pieces within the same thematic grouping. The exhibition will also feature related works, including monotypes and mixed media works, unified by an overarching blue color palette and a shared approach to conceptual material handling.

The saltwater hands are derived from shadow drawings, capturing a presence and subsequent absence, akin to how photography records light and shadow. Each piece incorporates light as a medium, navigating the complexities introduced by material elements that serve as vessels for content.

Opening Night Party, Thursday, August 22nd, 5 - 7 pm.

About the Artist

Nika Blasser is an interdisciplinary visual artist whose work seamlessly transcends the boundaries of media in her creative pursuits. Her aesthetic interests and material interrogations remain constant across a multitude of works spanning video, painting, drawing, sound, installation, and photography. Informed by overlapping processes, her art reflects on materiality and the ephemeral nature of the world, capturing the remnants and residue left by unseen forces.

Blasser holds an MFA from the University of Alberta in Drawing and Intermedia, as well as a BA from Portland State University in Painting/Drawing/Printmaking. She lived in Canada for five years, initially for graduate school and later continuing her work in the arts and teaching at the University of Alberta. She was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where she grew up hiking, traveling, and immersed in the arts scene of the Northwest. She currently teaches Art at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton.

Artist website: nikablasser.com

This exhibit is sponsored by Urness Motors.