Artist-in-Residence to Display Works, Create Art With Students

The Gallery at Penn College, on the third floor of Pennsylvania College of Technology's Madigan Library, will host artist-in-residence Antonio Puri on campus Oct. 17-22. The gallery will exhibit his work, in a collection titled "I Am," Oct. 7 to Nov. 7.

Born in India, and having attended English and international boarding schools while living among Buddhist monks, Puri combines traditional concepts and modern abstract art in his work.



"My art is my means of identifying with the universe," Puri said. "Therefore, I use symbols, forms and spatial concern as a means to express my need for universality. My inspiration comes from the unity between the microscopic and the macrocosmic."

In his new series, "I Am," Puri explores the self. Each work is a label that identifies his physical being. His goal is to emphasize how the mind is quick to categorize.

"My painting process is also designed to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown," he says. "By using materials that resist one another, I am able to reveal several layers of paints, which would ordinarily get covered up. Introducing a hybrid of techniques, symbols and various mediums, I am hoping to create oneness."

The gallery will host a gallery talk and Meet the Artist reception with Puri on Oct. 19. The gallery talk begins at noon, and the reception will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m., with artist's comments to be offered at 5:30.

In addition to the exhibit reception, during his weeklong stay on campus, Puri will engage students from multiple disciplines in creating a large-scale work of installation art. Students will use mixed-media including painting, collage, fusing of paints and resist techniques to create the piece, which will be displayed permanently on campus at the conclusion of the residency.

The gallery is open Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 2 to 8 p.m.; and Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All exhibits are free and open to the public. The gallery will close Oct. 15-17 for Fall Break.

For more about the exhibit and The Gallery at Penn College, visit online , e-mail or call 570-320-2445.

For more about the college, visit on the Web , e-mail or call toll-free 800-367-9222.