Intergalactic/ Planetary/ Planetary/ Intergalactic

Andrea Alonge, Brian Knowles

April 6 - 28, 2024

The universe is vast and complex, encompassing macro and microcosms of organisms, ecosystems, and geologic structures. Using tactile materials that have been manipulated and transformed, Brian Knowles and Andrea Alonge explore parallel universes and inner worlds, combining scientific processes with science fiction.  Insulation foam asteroids covered in used Xacto blades, handmade paper, pins, and screws reimagine the fabric of space, and textile works describe portals, wormholes, and meditative symbols that are meant to enhance one’s journey to the center–the point where there is a connection to everything else in the galaxy.  Intergalactic/ Planetary/ Planetary/ Intergalactic is an exhibition of space exploration in several different forms, a journey in a handmade rocket ship to worlds that exist on the edges of imagination.   

For each of us, our understanding of the universe and its complexity and our connection to its vastness is different, informed by our experiences and connection to one another, as well as our exploration of ourselves. In this exhibition, Andrea Alonge and Brian Knowles translate the concept of space as a physical place, a description of distance between two points, and an idea encompassing inner and outer worlds. Their work shares a craft materiality, celebrating the handmade while using elements in unexpected ways and mimicking the scientific processes involved in the creation of the universe. Alonge’s textile works evoke portals, wormholes, spirals, microcosms, and spiritual symbols, while Knowles’ work plays on the geological forms of space, molecular structures, chemical reactions, and topographical maps. 

About the Artists

Brian Knowles received his BA in biochemistry and BFA in painting at Rice University in Houston, TX, and his MFA at The University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. He has shown at Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph Michigan, Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, WA, and Rogue Community College in Grant’s Pass, OR.

@brianknowles_art

Andrea Alonge received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, IL, and her MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI. She has shown nationally and internationally, most recently at Nightingale Gallery in La Grande, OR. She has created textile installations for Meta Open Arts in Bellevue, WA, and Soho House Portland in Portland, OR.

@andreaalonge