Burst is a temporary installation by artist Olga Lah consisting of colorful sculptural works — constructed of lightweight foam — are suspended from the trees over the walkway in front of the Library. Lah was invited by the Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts to submit proposals for a temporary installation on campus and the proposals were reviewed and approved by the Public Art Committee. The work is an expression focusing on the idea of transformation, one of the three core values that Biola expounds. Materially, the installation continues Lah's interest in using commonplace objects and transforming them into works that question perception and value. Conceptually, the installation invites passersby to consider an altered experience and to observe their overall surroundings with a critical perspective.
Olga Lah is a second generation Korean-American, born and raised in the Los Angeles area. She now resides in Long Beach, California. She received a B.A. in both Studio Art and Art History from the University of California at Riverside. She also received a M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her interest in the relationship between theology and art led her to an art practice exploring these themes in site-specific installations and sculpture. She has exhibited most recently at the Orange County Museum of Art, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles; the Torrance Art Museum, Torrance; and at the Venice Arsenale in Italy. She has been awarded residencies at Art Stays in Ptuj, Slovenia and at the prestigious Djerassi Resident Artists Programs in Woodside, California.
Jeff Rau is an artist, curator, and educator based in Long Beach, CA. In 2000, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Valparaiso University, Indiana, but soon after moving to southern California he left engineering to pursue a career in the arts. In 2011, Rau earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from California State University, Fullerton. Rau has taught photography and digital media courses in the Art Department since 2008. In his artistic practice, Rau employs photography and other documentary media (video and sound) in a conceptual practice of archiving, mapping, and serial performance. He is also a founding member and active curator with Sixpack Projects.