Owensboro Community and Technical College

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OCTC's Dayman Gallery Hosting "Functional Uncertainty" Art Exhibition by Asha Cabaca

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (05/23/2024) — Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) is pleased to announce a new art exhibit entitled Functional Uncertainty, featuring the works of Asha Cabaca. The exhibit will run through October 3, 2024, and the public is invited to a closing reception that day, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Dayman Gallery, where they will have the opportunity to meet the artist.

Cabaca is a native of Ontario, Canada, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from York University in 2022. Cabaca is a Master of Fine Art in Sculpture candidate at West Virginia University(WVU). At WVU she received a Graduate Student Assistantship, where she teaches 3D Foundations and Introduction to Sculpture. This is her first solo show in the U.S., she has previously exhibited work in shows in West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Ontario.

OCTC Art Program Coordinator and curator for the gallery, Abbi Ruppert, commented, "Functional Uncertainty demonstrates firsthand the possibilities that abound at the intersection of art and skilled trades. This is a must-see exhibition for Manufacturing & Skilled Trades students and faculty to explore each mechanism fabricated meticulously from steel, joined seamlessly with 3D printed PLA, silicone, and cast resin. To OCTC's art students, this exhibition demonstrates the value of learning skilled trades to execute an artistic vision. Functional Uncertainty is perfectly positioned at OCTC to inspire curiosity and bridge the gap between art, science, and skilled trades."

Cabaca enjoys working with metal, silicone, plastic, and wood, creating structures and mechanisms inspired by nature, industry, and absurdist literature. To view more of her work, please visit https://ashacabaca.com.

Artist Statement:

This series of mechanisms transforms simple functions into gestures of uncertain significance. The fabricated steel devices and resin casts of fingers and toes mediate the viewer's interaction with the space. There is a degree of hesitation when approaching the object: the uniform steel finish creates a sense of ambiguity and though there are handles to turn and buttons to press, it is not clear what their function is. The obscuring structures of Put Your Finger in the Air and Vent impose another level of uncertainty: there could be anything in the box or behind the grate, and the reveal becomes a (disappointing) surprise. The viewer has no idea what is going on until they interact with the work, and if they do, the resulting action does not willingly give answers but rather provokes further questioning.

This series attempts to articulate my sense of the absurd, which seems to revolve around a sense of futility and dry humor. To me, the absurd is mundane and boring, but with a surprising twist that serves to relieve the drudgery. This jarring element takes the form of repetition, confusion, uncertainty, and cyclicity. The static mechanisms build up a sense of anticipation, but the failure to deliver anything new and exciting upon interaction creates a sense of disappointment. The smooth and almost seamless joints and couplings are a product of prolonged labor, and the resulting actions seem meaningless and stupid in comparison to the purposeful craft. This contrast provokes the viewer to ponder why I endeavored to create such simplistic and banal motions, and this "why" is the central question posed by this body of work and seems to hint at broader existential questions.

The exhibition is located in the Dayman Art Gallery on the upper level of the Learning Resource Center, located on OCTC's Main Campus at 4800 New Hartford Road. Admission is free, and the gallery is open Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

OCTC offers an Associate in Fine Arts, Visual Arts degree. Those interested in coursework may contact Abbi.Ruppert@kctcs.edu. Classes for the fall semester begin August 19, 2024.

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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC

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