Super Store Opens in Santa Fe

Super Store, an installation piece by artist Luke Dorman, opens at Santa Fe University of Art and Design’s (SFUAD) Council 241, the Visual Arts Center’s “pop-up” gallery on February 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. In Super Store, Dorman creates a cartoon-like space that imitates the look and feel of a convenience store.

“Luke Dorman is one of our most dynamic alums," said Linda Swanson, chair of the Art Department. " He has developed significant exhibition and gallery connections, both in Santa Fe and nationally. Personally, I wouldn’t miss one of his shows — they are always quirky, beautifully crafted and smart. Luke has an imagination that ‘pokes’ us — sometimes in the funny bone, and sometimes right between our ears!”

Note: By alum, Swanson means of The College of Santa Fe (Dorman received a BFA in Mixed Media in 2003), but SFUAD has continued on with the now-defunct College’s excellent programs in the visual arts. It seems all one continuum.

"The difference between Dorman’s store and your local 7-11 is that the products of Super Store generally represent the intangible: character traits, actions, desires, and other abstract notions or concepts," according to the artist statement for Super Store. "Dorman uses the language of drawing in his 3D creations, each one painted in the black-and-white style he is known for, which heightens the unreal nature of the entire display. Store patrons will have access to objects both satirical and amusing, allowing them to purchase a representation of what, in real life, is unattainable by financial means. Sample items on display include Good Karma, God-Given Talent, Clean Conscience, Instant Gratification, Financial Ruin, Wrath, Biblical Strength, Big Fat Nothing and Extreme Apathy.”

The show runs through February 24 and can be viewed by appointment after the opening. For more information, contact Ceci Thomes at ceci.thomes@santafeuniversity.edu or call 505/473-6500.