“I like the direction of the entire show; I think it’s very exciting!” said Georgina Castillo of Paradox Revealed, the newest exhibit featured in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts Gallery. Students, community members, and faculty attending the reception on April 2 shared Castillo’s sentiment about Paradox Revealed-a judged art show that showcases talent from all skill and grade levels and all types of media and presents prizes to the winners. Associate professor of art and gallery director Alma Haertlein thought the show “was just fantastic.” “The students did a wonderful job,” said Haertlein. “The art club is the group that puts it all together; they motivate [other students] to join the show.” Senior art major and coordinator for the show Natalie Rodriguez was on hand to speak about the show. Having experienced the art program and the products that it yields first hand, Rodriguez believes the show “represented TAMIU really well.” The art show showcased TAMIU’s diversity, with works ranged from photography, oil paintings, watercolor, ceramics and even papier-mâché and aluminum wire sculptures. “We had a lot of submissions […] I just wanted to get everything in!” said Rodriguez. Freshmen music major Luis Villarreal said that was his favorite piece was “Jealousy and all his friends,” a charcoal painting by Nathalie Miranda. A crowd favorite, the painting showed the different faces of jealousy. “To me, this is amazing. Each drawing has its own characteristics; when you think of jealousy, it comes in all forms,” said Villarreal.Villarreal said that the work really spoke to him. He also wanted to praise the other artists and believed the works to be enigmatic.”You really have to make your own story,” he said.Featured artist and junior art major Eric Casanovia tried to convey a story and a moral with his series of comic-strip inspired paintings, “Robonocchio,” a play on the name Pinocchio. The metaphorical paintings depict a human and a robot’s romantic relationship. “It’s something autobiographical; it’s a metaphor about being machine-like,” said Casanovia”With his face coming off, it’s a metaphor for human relationships. Think of a robot-Pinocchio, something about redemption.”Alongside these paintings, the ceramics garnered a considerable amount of attention. A ceramic hand depicting the “devil’s horns” rock n’ roll hand sign by ? and an indigenous-Mexican style pottery collection by gathered attention for their departure from the canvas as a medium. Despite the praise the show received, Rodriguez “[wished] that it was more competitive.” “Some people just didn’t submit. Some work is freaking-bad-ass, and they didn’t show,” she said.Some of the work Rodriguez speaks of will be displayed during TAMIU’s Senior Art show on April 23. Haertlein anticipates the show will “be really good!”