Alaska News

Photos: Mariano Gonzales' solo show at the Anchorage Museum

Mariano Gonzales' gave a sneak preview of his already-controversial show, "A Man in the Shadows," at his home earlier this month.

Gonzales has been a presence on the local art scene for decades. He was part of the crew at the original Visual Arts Center of Alaska near Anchorage International Airport, an ambitious but chaotic experiment in bringing modern art to Alaska. He studied under groundbreaking local artists like Keith Appel, Bill Kimura, Pat Austin and Wassily Sommer. He began instructing at the University of Alaska in 1990 and eventually became head of the art department.

The second floor of the large house in Chugiak looked like a secondhand shop. There was a shop drill, saws, a skeleton and a sitar. Work tables were crowded with bits and pieces of projects in various stages of development and several hundred LP records shelved along one wall. A mannequin standing at a window blocked the view of Knik Arm. Cables linked computer hardware and giant screens to enormous printers, one with ink cartridges the size of old VHS tapes.

"I need it all," Gonzales said, referring to both the space and its abundant contents.

Read more: Anchorage artist Mariano Gonzales’ solo show involves innovation, technology -- and controversy

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