Camarillo, Calif., Jan. 7, 2013 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) invites the public to experience literature reinvented as abstract art and sculpture in a compelling exhibition by Carpinteria artist Linda Ekstrom. “Tangled Texts/Teasing Textures: Book Art and Beyond” will be on display in the Art Gallery at the John Spoor Broome Library from Jan. 22 through March 17. An opening reception will be held at the gallery Thursday, Jan. 31, from 5 to 7 p.m., with the artist giving a talk about her work. The reception is free and open to the public.

Presented by the CI Art Program and curated by Lecturer in Art History Anette Kubitza, the exhibition features Ekstrom's original text and book-based works. Ekstrom transforms paper manuscripts, literary masterpieces and religious tracts and into abstract objects that invite viewers to ponder subjects from literature and women's liberation, to history, religion and art. Turning to authors such as Saint Teresa of Avila, Emily Dickinson and William Shakespeare, as well as the Bible, Ekstrom deconstructs, rearranges, tangles or obscures text fragments to release the text from its fixed meaning and open it up to new interpretations by contemporary audiences. For example, the Bible is shredded and transformed “from sacred word into sacred object,” to become blooming flowers, honeycomb, a ball of yarn, a looping rope, a tangle of cords, or a series of spheres.

“My work is often anchored in the book, the book as a cultural and symbolic object, and as a container of history, narrative and memory,” Ekstrom said. “The altered books and pages are transformed to function symbolically; to challenge and expand our thinking about literal ways of reading the text. … In the end an essence of words remains to be taken in primarily through visual and tactile methods.”

Ekstrom earned her MFA in Art Studio at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she is now a lecturer. In her work she explores a range of issues at the center of religious traditions in the West. She has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the U.S., including Frumkin/Duval Gallery, Center for the Book in New York, Quotidian Gallery in San Francisco, and the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Her work has been reviewed in Art in America, Sculpture Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and numerous other publications.

The Art Gallery is located on the second floor of the John Spoor Broome Library on the CI campus. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Limited parking is available on campus. A daily permit is $6. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the VISTA Bus to the campus; the fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.

For additional information, visit http://art.csuci.edu or contact the CI Art Program at 805-437-2772 or art@csuci.edu. For further information on the artist, visit http://lindaekstrom.com.

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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands
(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.

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