ROY presents: Chaz O’Neil

Terraform

Chaz O’Neil is fascinated by space exploration, and this body of work reflects his interest in the messages that humans have sent into outer space in search of intelligent life. The repeated image in his Messenger Series is taken from the etched plaque designed by renowned astronomer Carl Sagan for NASA’s Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft. The plaque contains informational diagrams about human beings and the location of Earth in the infinitesimal chance that the spacecraft are intercepted by extra-terrestrial life forms. The two large drawings on the gallery walls are representations of the ground images taken from MARS Curiosity and Perseverance.

O’Neil’s process of making these works involves a tension between control and chaos. The cut-out shapes that form regular grids and patterns are mathematical in their precision, while his spray paints, washes, and other use of pigments and resins open the work up to chance. The photographs used are inspired by a visit to Terra Mineralia, a museum in Freiberg, Germany housing one of the world’s largest collections of minerals. The Terraform Series (2020-Present) is a reaction to the immense natural forces that created these minerals visualized in a 2D plane.

O’Neil works and teaches at Otterbein University, Ohio. He also taught at Shanghai Publishing Printing College in China. Recently, he had residencies in El Bruc, Spain as part of the Ohio Art League Can Serrat Residency Award. In 2019, he also took part in the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Residency Exchange Program in Dresden, Germany.

This exhibition was made possible through a generous contribution from the Greater Columbus Arts Council's Support for Professional Artists Individuals Grant.

ROY what is your name and preferred pronoun?

Chaz O’Neil He/Him

ROY How has art (whether it be your own or art in general) changed you?

My studio practice has taught me to push myself and how to be resourceful in various situations and stages of life.  I am always in pursuit of the next big idea, opportunity or adventure.  Art has taught me to share my mania and how to appreciate others’.  

ROY How did you start your artistic practice?

My self-driven artistic practice started at a young age with cartoon, comic books and later, anime.  Later, I sought out all courses in school where I could work with my hands and problem solve. 

ROY When a first-time viewer sees your work, what is the first word that you hope they think when looking at it?

Innovative.

This exhibition was made possible was made possible through a generous contribution from the Greater Columbus Arts Council's Support for Professional Artists Individuals Grant.