Internal Formations:
An Interactive Installation
by Waseem Touma

Life in any shape or form, whether it is microscopic or cosmic, holds three characteristics: complexity, fragility, and visual beauty.  It is this idea that I attempt to express in my work.  The emphasis of my work is an imaginary ideology of our own internal infrastructure.  On that note, my work is intended to have a positive influence on the viewer.  Repetitive forms and shapes that come across as playful, musical, interactive, and full of energy occupy my compositions and installations.  To be able to show the dynamic structure of life that any form may hold is my goal as an artist: a vision of expressing what I find so fascinating and want to share with the world, the beautiful evolution and interaction of life that lives in my imagination.


Waseem Touma was born and raised in Sydney, Australia.  After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2002, Waseem arrived at the University of Kentucky and graduated in 2006 with a Master of Fine Arts.  He was the president of the Art Graduate Student Association (AGSA) and was a Teaching Assistant in the ceramics program at the University of Kentucky for two years.  He is currently residing in Kansas City, MO, where he is employed at Kansas City Art Institute as a Regional Coordinator, and is a current resident artist at the Charlotte Street Foundation, Urban Culture Project Studio Residency Program. 

With a Lebanese heritage, Waseem was simultaneously raised in two cultures, learning about history and tradition within his household, while growing up in Sydney, Australia.  Cultural identity was always an issue within such an environment, and it has become an integral voice in Waseem’s artwork.  His focus is on what we have in common, rather than what makes us different, exploring the core of creation and existence itself in imaginary possibilities.

The opening reception is August 5, 2011 from 6-10 pm.  The show runs through August 26.  After August 5, contact Paula Rose to view by appointment: plenumspacekc@gmail.com.

Someplace Real:
Multimedia Works by Jessica Simorte

I am driven by my interest in human emotion and relationships. My current work explores how specific environments can affect those emotions and interactions. I am interested in the spaces where we keep our most personal items, thoughts and feelings. The most obvious and relatable example of this type of space is a house. It’s undeniable that our surroundings shape us, and for whatever reason, I seem to be more attached to my surroundings than anyone I know. This body of work is an ongoing process to dissect the relationship I have with my home.

Jessica Simorte was born in 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2010 she received her BA in Art with a concentration in photography from the University of Saint Mary. She was awarded a Miller Art Award all four years and graduated with top honors. Jessica has already been included in various exhibitions including the “Kansas City Artist Coalition Undergraduate Exhibition” in 2009 and 2010, where she was given the Lore and Mel Mallin Scholarship Award. Her solo exhibitions include A Certain Joy at the Carnegie Arts Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. Jessica currently lives and works in Kansas City.

The opening reception is July 1, 2011 from 6-10 pm. The show runs through July 22. After First Friday, contact Paula Rose to view by appointment: plenumspacekc@gmail.com.

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