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Medici Mondays: Aubrey Behrens

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Sunday, October 27, 2024
College of Fine Arts, School of Art

Aubrey Behrens created and installed three sculptures in and around Tucson, thanks to support from the College of Fine Arts Medici Circle.

Behrens, a second-year MFA graduate student at the School of Art, worked with Kayla Ballesteros (BFA, ’16, Visual Communications) on a collaboration project, Sonoran Yokai. The sculptures are reimagined versions of Yokai from Japanese folklore, applying similar imagery to myths from the Sonoran Desert. 

Students: Become a Medici Scholar. | Supporters: Join the Medici Circle.

“Tucson is rich with Mexican folk art, particularly seen in Día de los Muertos celebrations and alebrijes—brightly colored, fantastical creatures. Like Yokai sculptures, both art forms aim to bring mythical beings to life, using vivid colors not just for aesthetics, but to evoke emotion, symbolize life forces, and represent the supernatural.”

This summer, Aubrey and Kayla constructed the sculptures from wire, papier mache pulp and joint compound and installed them on popular trails heading up East Catalina Highway and around Tucson.

“It was a very rewarding experience to talk with people on site, intrigued by our work, reminding me of the important role that accessible art plays in a thriving community.” 

Yokai serve as metaphors for exploring the complexity of human emotions and experiences. Each Yokai embodies a different aspect of human nature, societal fears, and cultural beliefs. 

“Examples of Sonoran imagery that we explored are a desert-tortoise version of Shinto Kappa that embodies the spirit of monsoons and Coyote as a trickster spirit in reference to local indigenous myths juxtaposed with the nine-tailed fox guardian spirit of Japanese folktales. We also created a spirit of keys in reference to local Tucson myth La Llarona, the ghost of Hotel Congress and Fox Theater, inspired visually by Rokurokubi.” 

Students: Become a Medici Scholar. | Supporters: Join the Medici Circle.

Medici Circle Appreciation

“Thank you to Kerry and Herbert Stratford for their generous donation. Because of their support, we were able to acquire an airbrush as well as other equipment and materials that have greatly enhanced the quality and precision of our work.”

Medici Circle support allows talented artists and scholars like Aubrey to pursue an educational summer project beyond the classroom. 

Previously on “Medici Mondays”