Adrienne De Guevara Opens ‘Mythography’ at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop

Adrienne De Guevara defines herself as a sculptor, social practice artist, and public artist. Her first solo exhibit, titled Mythography, opens this Saturday, July 27, at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop (CAW). The opening, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is intended to be an interactive event that brings together attendees to engage with one another and discuss the art collaboratively.

As an assemblage artist, De Guevara’s forte is creating art from various disparate objects. In Mythography, she has taken a variety of seemingly incongruous pieces — including ornate wooden table legs, fragments of ivory bone, and more — and has reconstructed these components into larger sculptures. This idea of playing around with different shapes encapsulates both De Guevara’s artistic process and the messaging at the heart of the exhibit. 

“My main focus in my work is how form informs us. I’m very interested in shape and how shapes connect us, make us feel a certain kind of way,” De Guevara said. 

When describing her creative process, De Guevara clarified that she doesn’t set out to make something particular. Rather than mapping out a specific vision and adhering to a preconceived idea, De Guevara works intimately with the individual pieces of her sculptures, cultivating a sort of personal relationship with each part. She noted that she collects items that she feels drawn towards and then collaborates with the pieces to invent a new art piece. 

“It’s more about working in partnership with the objects, rather than trying to create something out of other objects. It’s almost meditative in a way. There’s a lot of sitting with it, thinking about it, looking at it, feeling it, walking around it,” De Guevara said. 

These feelings that she experiences when experimenting with shapes to make art, that almost emotional compulsion of being drawn to certain shapes or patterns, is what De Guevara aims to spotlight with Mythography. While most people accept that the fleeting decisions we make regarding shapes and patterns — such as our jewelry preferences or the type of couch that we buy to furnish our home — are arbitrary, De Guevara argues that our attractions to everyday objects are far from random. 

Mythography invites spectators to reflect critically about why we are drawn to certain designs, colors, textures, and materials, nudging us to contemplate what this says about us as individuals and, more broadly, how shapes enhance our understanding of the world. De Guevara recognizes that how we relate to shapes is deeply personal and that, while we are always engaging with a “lexicon of shapes,” as she put it, our perceptions of those same shapes vary and are hugely influenced by our past and present experiences.  

“I’m really just trying to get people to think about shape when they’re at the opening and how they relate to it. Less about ‘What does this mean?’ And ‘What is the artist trying to say?’ It’s more like ‘What does it say to you?’” De Guevara explained.

She continued, “Because I’m fascinated by mythology itself, and culture, I tend to relate to the shape in that way.”

This emphasis on mythology and culture is another integral part of the exhibit, as mirrored in the title itself. De Guevara explained that the term “mythography” has to do with presenting myths in a physical form, such as painting or sculpture. Since both myths and shapes have been used by humans for thousands of years to reflect culture and, more generally, an understanding of the world, De Guevara intends for Mythography to prompt viewers to think critically about the interconnectedness of culture and symbols and shapes. 

“Mythography is about thinking about culture and how symbols and shapes of those symbols have informed our understanding of culture and the way that we understand each other and move around in the world.”

Rather than doing a typical nighttime wine and cheese opening, De Guevara has opted to do a daytime coffee opening. She indicated that this setup is intended to encourage discussion amongst visitors. De Guevara will also be handing out prompts, welcoming attendees to speak with one another about their thoughts on each sculpture. She acknowledged that, while everybody has their own unique backgrounds and will likely have contrasting opinions about each piece, she hopes that casual discourse will help to bridge those gaps. 

“People have all kinds of different experiences; they come from all different kinds of walks of life. But, to me, it’s really important that people understand that our basic needs are the same. And, while we probably have very different viewpoints on certain kinds of things, the idea with the opening, and having it be interactive, is to get people to talk to each other,” De Guevara expressed. 

She went on, “The idea is that you get to learn something about someone. And there’s no skin in the game. There’s no wrong answer. You just learn something about someone. And I think that we all are looking to be connected in some way. I mean, it doesn’t matter who you are. Everybody wants connection. And so, for me, being able to get people to connect with one another at my exhibit makes me feel like I’ve sort of done the work that I’ve been trying to do as an artist.”

Mythography will be on view at the named Leon and Elizabeth Olsen Gallery at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop (631 Garden St.) July 27-August 4. For more information visit deguevaraart.com.