Beautiful to See, Yet its Roots Create Rot: Sable Arias’s ‘Invasif Desires’
By Siobhan Donaldson | Published by February 23, 2020
The Student Art Gallery, located in the Vaughn-Eames building, displays large printings of invasive plants on recycled hand-made paper, delicate books bound together, and the artists’ desire to uproot weeds that encroach on herself.
Connecting to the parasitic bamboo that surrounds her home in Little Egg Harbor, and the most recent infestation of Lantern Flies, Sable Arais hopes to explore what it means to have a healthy life over a beautiful one.
“Sable Arias, the artist, posed amongst her work.” Photo by Siobhan Donaldson
“I am a repurposed artist; I like to reuse things. I borrowed giant frames from a friend. Some [items] are brand-new but many are recycled,” Arias explains while pointing and examining her work on the gallery walls, each signifying her environment and personal self.
Arias, who graduated with a BFA in Studio Arts at Kean University and is a Student Representative in the art department at Kean University, displays her newest exhibit after three years of hard work. Surrounded by art pieces made from recycled, and repurposed materials, Arias creates what she hopes to be a ‘connective experience’ with her audience.
“It started building up to building things beyond me,” Arias explains. “I like to be able to impact a person more. It brings satisfaction to me and brings me joy that they receive happiness when they get a hand on [the art]. It’s about sharing experiences.”
“Invasif Desires portrait, for sale books, and screenprints on handmade paper.” Photo by Siobhan Donaldson
With a focus on bookbinding, printmaking, and experimenting with papermaking, Arias envisions a world where she can create tangible experiences with various textile feelings. Hand made paper with differentiating percentages of recycled materials (her crown jewel being the 100% recycled white paper prints with the invasive species ‘tree of heaven’), a large tapestry made of strips of cotton, old bedsheet, and various other fabrics, and her use of foraged plants around the pine barrens.
“I grew up entertaining myself. I was homeschooled with 4 siblings growing up and we were taught to do things with our hands — I was always sewing, cooking, going outside to find things to use. I thought art was a flat piece on a frame, but when I came to Kean I realized I could do more than 2-D. I could do a combination of things, pushing myself as far as I could go.”
Arias had seen Vincent Musetti’s final show, an artist who t graduated from Kean University in 2016. He works primarily in sculpture, taxidermy, and oil paints.
“When I saw his show, I saw so much more. He did so much mix media- and it hit me that I don’t have to be a painter to be an artist. I can be an artist,” Arias said. “I was inspired to do what I wanted to do. I wanted to make books, I wanted to improve, to learn more, to know more. Even though my works don’t serve a specific purpose, it’s the experience of thinking things apart that drew me in.”
In Invasif Species, Arias examines her like and the teachings given to her. She speaks on how though some of those teachings were beautiful, they were poisonous. The art marks the weeding out the unhealthy things in her life. Moving away from thinking ‘it’s just life’ to becoming more in control of her own. As a Native American and Spanish artist, Arias felt disconnected from her culture when her parents had raised her isolated from it- and now feels that she may return to it.
“Invasif Desires Hand-woven macrame.” Photo by Siobhan Donaldson
“I grew up keeping it to myself, and how am I gonna grow without sharing? And conversing? Seeing how other people feel — not everyone will like it– but seeing someone see my work and interact with me opens a conversation not there before. It lowers my anxiety, connecting with them, and drives me to keep connecting.”
Arias’s final show ran until Jan. 30. At her closing reception, she opened up many of her works for sale, from handmade books to prints she made with hand-crafted recycled paper. There, in the small gallery with huge windows, Arias was greeted by her many friends and Kean alumni. A situational reflection of the life she had built for herself at her time at Kean. At some points, she wiped away tears looking about at her work, as people filtered in and out.
“My family saw it the other day,” Arias said. “They understood what I was saying and saw how much I love my work.”
Currently working through commission and her Etsy store, Arias is moving on to the bookbinding master’s program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. You can find her work on Instagram at @sparrow.ht, LaCeibaStudios on Etsy.com, and ko-fi.com/sparrowht.
Tower staff reporter Valerie Sanabria contributed reporting.
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