By KayCee Wilhelm, student news writer, Office of University Communications

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Diego Cardenas of Venezuela, senior art/graphic design major at Campbellsville University, will be presenting his senior exhibit through Dec. 14 at The Pence-Chowning Art Gallery at 205 University Drive, Campbellsville, Ky.

Cardenas' exhibit, titled “path,”  will include his drawings, illustrations, graphic design and photography. He will hold his senior reception from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4 in the gallery. Everyone is invited.

 

“It is interesting and challenging to describe what this show means and attempts to transmit,” Cardenas said. “This collection of pieces is a summary of an uncountable number of hours of dedication and effort. My work is a reflection, a summary, and an analysis of my appreciation of the environment that surrounds me.

Cardenas said his art “is a sneak peek of what happens and goes through my mind daily,” an “invitation to step away from categories and stereotypes” and “an invitation to be what was meant to be.”

“My work is a reflection, and an analysis of my appreciation of the environment that surrounds me. In my palette, I carry the turquoises of the Caribbean, which were the witness of my first astonishment, my first sights,” “The greens of my Avila - a mountain that surrounds Caracas — which protected me during my childhood” and “Endless oranges and pinks.”

“My pieces are no longer called ‘pieces,' these are encounters, because that is what they are, encounters with my inner self.”

When speaking about his encounters, he said, “In each one of them I attempt to invite the viewer to find an excuse to enjoy what they are seeing.”

Cardenas is also the artist behind many well-known murals around CU's campus, including “Surreptitious Gaze of the Anxious Beast” on the side of the Alumni Building, the “CU” mural on the Shely Science Center, “Welcome” on the Sports Annex and “Imposing Timidness” in Gosser Gym.

He has done an internship in Panama City, Panama.

Gallery hours are: Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.; Tuesdays, 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.; Thursdays, 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.; and Fridays, 9 a.m. until noon and 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.