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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter.

            

            How do you perceive space? This question of space is a common question among artists when beginning a new piece or project. How artists choose to deal with the space they are given is all a matter of perception or essentially the projection of their reality.

            Whether it is physical space as a performance artist or sculptor, or 2D space on a canvas, piece of paper or digital screen all artists deal with the problem of space in different ways. The process taken to manipulate space can give us insight on the artists themselves and how they problem solve. Last week I had the privilege to observe the process of the abstract painter, Barbara Takenaga.

            Takenaga has been on display at DC Moore Gallery on West 22nd Street. Her exhibition entitled Waiting in the Sky included a range of paintings of all different sizes: some taking up entire walls and others about the size of your normal band poster. Takenaga’s work deals with space literally and figuratively, literally in the sense that she is filling a canvas and figuratively because her paintings look as though they go on forever. Her pieces are composed of dense, almost mathematical repetition of patterns with occasional bursts of cosmic dust. Takenaga incorporates various stroke techniques to achieve this galaxy-like quality in her paintings. In sections there are dense dots and in others repeating contour lines acting as fibers. This combination flows together almost seamlessly creating an infinite depth within the piece.

            Takenaga’s choice in varied technique holds one common standard that is clear throughout all her pieces, patience. As you look closely at her attention to detail on each dot, explosion and line you begin to realize the amount of care and time put into each piece. Considering the sizes and detail Takenaga possesses a great deal of diligence.

            Next time you look at any piece of art be conscious of the way in which the artist dealt with the space they were given. How an artist chose to solve the problem of space can tell us much more about the person who created it than we could’ve imagined. 

Hey guys, my name is Cas. I am a Senior at Pace Univeristy on the NYC campus. I am currently working on a dual degree in Communications and Fine Arts. I've been working with some friends of mine to start up our own creative platform called FUNKNVIBE. It's basically a way for artists, musicians, film makers and any creative minds to collaborate and create. When I'm not volunteering or with my FNV family I'm reading, dancing or working on my latest art piece. I hope to own and design my own publication showcasing the culture around me. I have a personal blog as well as my Her Campus page. I recently started up a blog with FunknVibe so definitely check it out!  I started out as the secretary at for HCPace but moved my way to VP and CC to now President. I love being able to give students on my campus a voice and connect new students to some type of a community. Her Campus has allowed me to organize myself better and find out what goes into running an organization. It's been an absolute joy and I hope for my last year we have one of the best!