“The Beautiful Terrifying”: Visiting Artist Amy Klazek Speaks With Brentwood’s Art Students

14 November 2015Liam B, Ellis ‘16

On Friday, Brentwood’s visual arts students met Amy Klazek, an artist from Victoria whose compositions explore the creation of order from chaos. Amy is enamoured with all things eerie and mysterious, and her art reflects this interest. She titled her presentation, “The Beautiful Terrifying,” because her aim is to preserve darkness and recognize its beauty without sterilizing it.

Amy assembles eclectic objects, including antique cutlery, doll parts, WWII bullet shells, and dead bees into art pieces. Each object she selects has a story behind it. Her pieces are meticulously arranged in a process that takes many hours, using rapid fix glues to paste them to boxes or framed boards. She often addresses dark subject matter in her art, such as unnerving dreams and mortality, but each composition has an internal symmetry and balance.

Amy relishes the process of finding and collecting materials for her artwork. Next week, Brentwood’s visual arts students will begin their own treasure hunts and put together similar “found object” pieces. We will be taking a bus trip to Victoria to buy materials, preferably from ancient, musty antique dealerships. Our own quirks will manifest themselves in the objects we choose.

Liam B, Ellis ‘16

Where Students Choose To Be