Mindscapes & Cognitive Universes, Amplify’s next Generator Grant project celebrates neurodiversity as foundational to our shared understanding of what it means to be human. Organized by Soundarte, and featuring work by Mandala Cceron, Alba Magaña, Ben Nolette, and Sener, the exhibition positions video, installation, sound, and performance as channels between tangible sensory experience and a deeper understanding of the cognitive processes that shape our interior worlds.
Video projection by Mandala Cceron draws viewers into the gallery space where they’re greeted with three remarkable sound interactive sculptures activated by viewers’ smartphone flashlights. These works set the stage for live performance by Sener and Ben Nolette with guest musician Alba Magaña. A sum of its parts, Mindscapes & Cognitive Universes sparks diverse neurological responses on multiple registers by inviting tactical participation, thoughtful observation, and careful introspection.
The public opening of the exhibition on Friday, November 10th is free and open to all. Exhibition viewings after the opening are by appointment. Please register in Eventbrite to schedule a time to visit during regular gallery hours. Face masks are not required but always welcome.
Exhibition Dates: November 10th - December 15th, 2023
Opening Reception: November 10th; 6pm - 9pm
Additional Evening Hours: Friday, December 8th; 6pm - 9pm
Regular Gallery Hours: Thursdays and Fridays; 1pm - 5pm by appointment
Generator Grant programming is presented with support from the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
* Mindscapes & Cognitive Universes includes flashing lights and images that may cause discomfort or seizures for those with photosensitive epilepsy. Visitor discretion is advised.
About the Artists:
Sener is originally from México, now residing in Nebraska. He's deeply immersed in the world of post-digital art and has a studio in Omaha's Petshop Gallery community. Sener's artistic journey began with a focus on electroacoustic music, sound art, and experimental technologies in 2013. He collaborates with artists in both Mexico and the United States, curating various art events and founding platforms like SOUNDARTE.NET and EACRECMX to support emerging talents. His work explores the transformative power of sound on consciousness, blending diverse disciplines to create immersive sonic experiences.
Ben Nollette is a Visual artist based in Omaha, NE. He is currently studying Fine Arts at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Born and raised in Alliance, NE, he has pursued a career in visual arts since childhood. His work transcends the barriers of the plastic arts to create pictorial works that go out of the frame, portraits of ethereal and spectral beings that remind us of the absence of the ego. His graphic work is a response to existential questions about the self, in it, he reflects on the stages of depersonalization typical of the meditative states of Eastern mysticism, emphasizing symbolical absolute truths through his metaphorical images.
Alba Magaña is a Mexican artist and Violinist, with a Bachelor of Musical Arts and a Master's Degree in Artistic Research from the Superior School of Arts of Yucatan. She has taken courses in the UK and Canada. Awarded with a scholarship by CENART, Centro Nacional de las Artes (2021). Currently, her research focuses on sound art and experimentation. She is developing a post-digital sound installation in Yucatan, Mexico. In which she uses microcontrollers and field recordings, video art, and documentary. In it, she tackles the topic of mental disorders. This piece is the winner of the PAPIAM-D2021 Award with the title Alienation and Sonic Disorder.
Mandala Cceron is a digital and experimental artist. She explores the relationship between the biological, mechanical, and digital through topics such as virtual settings, wetware, artificial neural networks, and expanded realities. Her projects mainly focus on the concept of "biological machines" and "technological spirituality". She makes visual projects with code-based software (processing, pj5, and touchdesigner), 3D modeling, photogrammetry, artificial intelligence, and inflatable structures. Mandala participated in different projects and exhibitions such as "El Gato Con Botas" Opera with augmented reality (Salamanca, Gto, MX, 2010), International Festival of Contemporary Art FIAC 2021 (León, Gto, MX, 2021), Panorama (León, Gto, MX, 2022), AI Exhibition, (Coyoacán, CDMX, 2022). Quivira, Benson Theatre (Omaha, Nebraska, USA, 2023).