Located at the intersection that separates Pomona College from the Claremont village, the Benton Museum of Art is a beloved spot for students and locals alike.
Stepping into the gallery last Saturday afternoon, the ordinarily quiet and capacious space was now filled with seats. People gathered together to take in John Sparangana’s intricately collaged works, and the crowd observed the pieces as they listened to Ken Vandermark’s melodic saxophone and clarinet compositions.
On Feb. 28, the Benton welcomed 7C students, faculty and community members for the opening reception of the new exhibits: “The Meditative Object” and “John Sparagana: Interference Patterns.”
“The Meditative Object,” organized by Benton director Victoria Sancho Lobis and curatorial assistant Tristen Alizée Leone PO ’26, features an assortment of sculptures and works that reflect the history of contemplation and meditation across religious traditions. Across the hall, “John Sparagana: Interference Patterns,” showcases almost 100 collage pieces. This exhibition was organized by Solveig Nelson, curator of photography and new media, and Max Uehara PO ’25, post-baccalaureate curatorial fellow at the Benton.
“I’ve been to a lot of Benton shows,” attendee Mateo Chanel PO ‘28 said. “But this is really incredible, like none of the other shows that I’ve seen before.”
Sparagana’s works draw on source material from comic books, newspapers, his own works and various other forms of media. Many of his pieces reconstruct existing images — such as pop culture magazines — to create distorted visuals juxtaposing somber depictions of conflict with sharp, colorful figures. Sparagana’s work also draws inspiration from modern art and Pop art, among other movements. A common theme throughout his body of work is a desire to reflect important political events — such as his pieces created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
“I really like how he thinks about war and pain, especially right now,” attendee Brenda Rodriguez PO ‘26 said. “I feel like it’s really important to bring in more political art.”
Rodriguez was particularly intrigued by Sparagana’s slicing of photographs, which skew and destroy news clippings and existing media to create visually intriguing collages grounded by political themes.
“With his style, you can’t really tell that it’s about war or death,” Rodriguez said. “But the more you read the label, it’s interesting to learn how he uses his own style.”
Pomona English Professor Olivia Lafferty took note of Sparagana’s ability to utilize perspective in the gallery. His distorted pieces often compel viewers to view them from different angles.
“You can see some of the details of the materials up close, and I think the craft itself stands out when you’re quite close to the pieces,” Lafferty said. “But then when you stand further back, you get a more holistic vision.”
This visual contrast is clear in Sparagana’s common usage of sliced and reconfigured inkjet prints in his works.
Pomona Music Professor Ania Vu stated her admiration for these artistic moves.
“On a micro level, you can appreciate the individual lines and shapes and colors, but then if you zoom out, you have all these larger shapes,” Vu said. “He doesn’t break it evenly; it is not symmetrical.”
Rodriguez and Chanel were particularly drawn to Sparagana’s “Self Portrait in Dub #11,” a collaged piece composed of a self-portrait from Sparagana’s teenage years and a more recent work, mixing two distinct moments in Sparagana’s life.
“It drew me [in] because it’s very bodily, and you see elements of flesh, and it’s a lot more distorted than his other self-portrait,” Rodriguez said.
Chanel found this piece representative of Sparagana’s unique artistic talent, specifically his ability to combine different aspects of art.
“It’s really incredible to see how different intersections of art movements are brought together in one piece,” Chanel said.
The pairing of Vandermark’s performance on saxophone and clarinet — acting in tandem with Sparagana’s work — created new depth for the opening. Just as Sparagana combined two of his independent works to create a new piece, Vandermark cut and mixed two of his compositions to make a new arrangement, adding another piece of interference that folded into the experience of the opening.
“I think the music added to the chaoticness and the collage elements of Sparagana’s work, which I really liked,” Rodriguez said.
Lafferty also found that Vandermark’s performance enhanced Sparagana’s work and the artistic process behind it.
“It definitely primed me to think sonically. There is a lot of remixing that Sparagana does with paper materials,” Lafferty said. “Hearing [Vandermark] also splice his music in interesting ways echoed what’s happening on canvas.”
As a Professor of Music, Vu was struck by Vandermark’s performance, which was largely improvised.
“I got to see the score, which had very minimal notation, but he knew what he was going for, and he inserted different ideas in between what he had written,” Vu said.
In a multimedia piece that highlights the connection between Vandermark’s jazz improv and Sparagana’s work, TSL editor Isabella Leyton captured student attendees’ and Benton staff reactions to the gallery opening.
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