Assistant Professor of Studio Arts, Ariel Wood, recently wrapped up their solo exhibition titled “porous” in the Fine Arts Gallery. They described the word porous as “a passage, a means to an end”, which fully encapsulates their work as an artist, and gives reason as to why the title is so fitting to the work showcased. This exhibition was inspired by “detention basins neighboring carceral facilities in Georgetown.” Detention basins are stormwater collection systems that collect rainwater before flowing back into the San Gabriel River. Wood took interest in these infrastructures and how they “punctuate the landscape with a brutalist austerity, their ambiguous function compounded by the uncaniness of government landscaping.” 

Starting the process of creating pieces for this exhibition started like many of their others, with Wood embracing their curiosity about these structures, and doing a deep dive into their purpose. Using art forms including ceramic sculptures, drawings, and photographs, Wood demonstrates the idea of being held by infrastructure, whether this be water held by basins, or people being held in carceral facilities. Just in the US, there are over 2 million people incarcerated with no end in sight. It is clear that these individuals are being held back regardless of their accused wrong doings. They conclude their artist statement with “here, permeability is neither a solution nor an escape, but a condition.” I don’t think I could have summarized the porous exhibition any better.