LA MIRADA, CALIF. --- Biola University’s art gallery will be displaying the work of senior art students the next three months as a culmination of their studies and work the last four years. Each show is uniquely distinct, unique and represents the artist’s style, chosen medium, and artist statement. The art gallery features 2 to 4 artists’ shows simultaneously per week, leaving the new artists approximately three days to install their art in the gallery the weekend prior to their show.

The next show of the season, held April 6th-12th, 2009, will feature artists Amy Cano, Lauren Heurkins and Angelina D’Angelo. The show will premiere Monday April 6th, 2009 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. at Biola’s art gallery.

Amy Cano is a senior art major at Biola from Fairfield, CA, with an emphasis in photography. Her exhibit “Inhabited” will cover relationships between people and where they live. Cano uses her photography to work through challenging questions she faces while walking through life.

“We shape places and those places shape us,” Cano said. “I am inviting the viewer to interact more consciously with the images of spaces and see what more they can learn about the people who inhabit them.”

“Inhabited” explores the idea of understanding a person’s identity through the place they live in. Cano hopes to address such questions as, “Why does the stuff we surround ourselves with really matter?” and “What makes a space a place?”

Lauren Heurkins from Cypress, California will be featured as well. Heurkins’ emphasis is in design and photography. Her display is titled, “Healed: a collection of scars and their stories”.

“I am hoping that my show will serve the community as a reflective and meditative place during its time in the gallery,” said Heurkins.

“Healed” is compiled of slightly abstract, black and white digital photographs of people and their scars. Heurkins expects that the display will be especially meaningful to Christian viewers as they look at the photographs and remember Jesus’ scarred body.

Senior Angelina D’Angelo’s exhibit, “Peels,” will be displayed at Biola’s art gallery. D’Angelo, an art major with an emphasis in painting, is originally from Hemet, CA, where contemporary art galleries and museums are nonexistent. D’Angelo wants the viewers to be able to enjoy her abstract art simply for what it is.

“Enjoy the playful shapes and textures,” she said. “Enjoy the vibrant and whimsical colors. Enjoy seeing. My paintings leave the viewer wanting to reach out and touch the surface to feel the funky textures.”

D’Angelo uses a very unique method for her work. She manipulates the paint by pouring, dipping, plopping and sculpting it until it takes its new form. The altered skins of paint are rearranged to make a dynamic piece of art. “Peels” will feature several large and colorful pieces of this work.

The exhibits will open Monday April 6, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. and will end Sunday April 12, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. The gallery is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturday - Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.