Walking into the Nybak Gallery at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art and viewing Julie Alpert’s Strange Magic is a lot like stepping into Pee-wee’s Playhouse or Alice in Wonderland.
Your first impression is of an over-the-top mélange of three-dimensional color that draws you into the artists’ quirky imagination and sense of playfulness. Alpert has meticulously designed and crafted what at first glance appears to be a very simplistic, cartoonish installation. As you step into her world you begin to see the microscopic attention to detail that she has taken to bring this piece to life.
Alpert clearly has no fear of using bright and sometimes almost blinding color combinations. She has set the stage for us to enter a world that is out of the ordinary and requires us to find a new way to define objects that we usually find in our everyday, ordinary lives.
Conceptually brought to life via several intricately designed mockups, you see first-hand the detailing of layer upon layer of colorful and contrasting designs that Alpert incorporates to ultimately bring her room-sized vision to completion.
The longer you stand looking at this initially confusing collection of shapes, colors and assorted items, the more you re-think how we create and live in our spaces and what actually brings us joy.
Standing in the Nybak Gallery and pondering Alpert’s work leaves you with a renewed sense of wonder and imagination.
I highly recommend this exhibit, on view at SLOMA through March 3, to all children between the ages of 2 and 100.