Folks who haven’t visited the Library’s Starbucks in a while get a big surprise when exiting those second-floor elevators. On the large wall next to the Starbucks study area is a huge woodblock installation that wasn’t there just a few weeks ago! The untitled piece was created during a Printmaking and Installation class at CSU Summer Arts in 2017 and its “matrix” has been wandering around the Conley Arts Building for a few years. However, when President Jiménez-Sandoval saw it there, he recalled how impressive it was when it was first installed. So he requested that a place be found for it in the Library. The second floor space with the yellow walls offset the piece perfectly.

The artwork was also welcomed by the students, who frequent this study area in droves. Several students commented that it was “siiick” and really gives the whole cafe study area a unique vibe.

Read on for the full information on the artwork and all that inspired it!

Title: Untitled
Artists: Mazatl & Kill Joy
Assistants: Andrew Mullally, Francisco Alonzo, Saegan Moran, Patrick Brian, Peggy White
Coordinator: Jessica Robles
Year: 2017
Medium: Hand-carved MDF board, relief printing ink

Description: Coordinated by printmaker Jessica Robles, the 2017 Summer Arts class called “Printmaking and Installation: Out of the Matrix” taught students from around the California State University the art of creating prints with the intention of site installation.

Robles brought Mexican artists Mazatl and Kill Joy to the Fresno State Campus to teach students woodblock carving techniques to create prints and how to incorporate this into sculpture and installation artworks.

From that workshop this piece was created. Exploring the themes of the life and death struggle of water the woodcut print depicts a salamander and a lizard intertwined with one another and covered in various symbols of water, life, and death. This demonstrates the interconnected existence of living in a place where water can be scarce.

The artwork on the wall is the wood block, also called the matrix, that was created during the course. From this, multiple prints were made by rolling ink onto the block, placing a large piece of paper on top and then applying pressure to transfer the print to the paper. The paper prints were utilized by pasting the works onto walls for display. This process of pasting the prints to the wall damages the prints in a way that they are no longer usable, and there are no remaining copies; however, the matrix remains as part of the Fresno State Permanent Collection.