Art has a subtle way of reflecting who we are. Memories, identities and dreams stare back at us from a canvas, sculpture or screen. In these rare moments of reflection, we realize that what’s around us, the places we pass by, the people we share our streets with are all part of us in ways we might not realize day to day. The I Need Space to Roam exhibit at Left of Center Gallery unintentionally grabs onto that notion while tearing down the walls of commercialization and getting to the heart of Las Vegas’ art scene.
Curated by Haide Calle—a UNLV student and mixed media artist deeply invested in honoring her Otomi Indigenous and immigrant roots—I Need Space to Roam is a gathering of 24 femme, women and gender-nonconforming voices from Vegas’ ever-burgeoning art community, with personal stories spilling through sculptures, paintings, video and experimental installations that unapologetically claim space.
She explains that her work had caught the attention of Left of Center Gallery from a previous exhibit. The gallery offered her a solo show, but Calle had a different vision. “I wasn’t ready for it, but I had another idea,” she says, explaining that her goal was to create a collaborative showcase for voices often marginalized.
Beyond the stories, Calle wanted the exhibit to explore the limits of material and form, to test how different mediums could pull viewers deeper into each narrative, while also coming from a playful approach.
“I know that a lot of art has this more conceptual side that people are like, ‘I don’t get it’,” says Calle. “But people can be as impacted just seeing the piece and being like, ‘Oh, this is really cool’.”
That spirit of accessibility runs through the entire show. There’s no art-world pretension here; just work that speaks openly to those willing to engage.
The layout of the gallery keeps you on your toes, guiding you from piece to piece as if by some invisible thread. Upon entering, your eyes are directly met by a moon-perched puppet, with a cigarette hanging from the corner of its mouth and a star-shaped clock above reading 3:20 a.m. The piece, by mixed media artist LuvRiot, is called “Afterhours” and it immediately brings to mind the countless construction workers who drag themselves out of bed at the crack of dawn to get their work day started.
Immediately to the right is “I Don’t Think I Have a Big Enough Shoe For This Problem,” by AerynClare Gaddy—a massive spider sculpture piece made from styrofoam, chicken wire, duct tape and more. Its collage of printed tape makes it hard to decipher where it begins and ends, and its size can’t be ignored.
“I love when sculptures are almost bigger than you, they have this sort of intimidation … that’s what I wanted to bring to this show,” Calle says.
Behind the first wall is “74 Darts,” a photo print piece with colorful darts piercing the image of a man—and in an accompanying video projection, artist Iulia Filipov-Serediuc aims and throws the darts.
Each turn offers a new revelation, a new angle to explore—and each piece becomes a portal into the artist’s world, inviting viewers to crane their necks, to see it from every angle.
What’s clear throughout I Need Space to Roam is that art doesn’t have to fit a mold. The exhibition is a celebration of voices, materials and narratives that break traditional boundaries and make us excited to see what’s to come from these creators.
I NEED SPACE TO ROAM Thru December 7; Wednesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m; free. Left of Center Gallery, leftofcenterart.org.
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