Mesa Community College showcases Arizona painter Capri Landi’s ‘In Phases’ art exhibit through Oct. 9
Mesa Community College will showcase the works of Arizona-based painter Capri Landi in their art gallery’s current exhibition “In Phases” until Oct. 9 in an effort to bring peacefulness to the visual arts community.
Tracey Blocker, art gallery coordinator at MCC, explained how offering something more relaxing and abstract feels like a breath of fresh air during our current socio-political climate.
“It’s like the antidote for the fast scroll on social media,” Blocker said, emphasizing the importance of slowing down and contemplating art. Visitors get the chance to tune out and have a tranquil experience in the gallery.
According to Blocker, the exhibition serves as a great escape from the outside world. She said that a previous show at Arizona State University inspired her to introduce “In Phases” to MCC.
Landi is a local artist and visual arts teacher in the Phoenix metro area. 28 of her abstract paintings are on display at the MCC gallery.
“The exhibition brings people together with a common love of art,” Landi said.
According to her, the gallery offers a safe space that is supportive of her work. It allows her to share ideas with other artists in a professional setting, she said.
“I look at these pieces and think this is a soundtrack of different phases that were going on in my life,” Landi said.
She named “Waves” one of her favorite featured works because it represents the ups and downs of life. Using long lines and layering them in the artwork felt soothing, she noted.
The painting features multiple curved lines that rise and descend across the canvas. It has bold yet muted colors similar to a desert mountainscape at dawn.
“I feel celebrated, acknowledged, and understood as an artist,” Landi said with gratuity towards the art gallery. She said that art has always been a way of processing emotions and experiences.
Blocker stated that artists like Landi use abstracts to express things that are hard to show in the physical world. It could be a specific emotion or a strong feeling in the artist’s mind.
The art pieces encourage viewers to relax, she added, and to explore the emotions that are evoked by looking at the paintings.
The gallery will host this free event until early October. Blocker stated that she wanted “In Phases” to be a peaceful and quiet event for everyone to enjoy.
According to her, the next exhibition following “In Phases” will be “Legacy in Motion” which starts Oct. 23. This show will spotlight various works of art by MCC alumni, she said, and it will be more upbeat since it surrounds MCC’s 60th anniversary.
Visitors can find the gallery located near the MCC theater and AC building. Complimentary parking is available in the southeast lots of the campus.
