Chico State art major, Rafael Orti Garcia, welcomed guests to his art exhibit titled “The Last Generation” in a reception on the third floor of the BMU Thursday afternoon.

The exhibit featured artwork primarily done in ink and charcoal. Each piece depicted eclectic scenes of machinery, wildlife, and ruin, with the presence of people being a key component in each.

Garcia’s style focused on combining classical and contemporary techniques. He used realistic depth and spacing as seen in classical artwork in combination with the flat two-dimensional style of contemporary art.

The title of the exhibit, “The Last Generation”, is in reference to Garcia’s own generation which was the last to grow up without cell phones.

Garcia believes that if he had had a cell phone as a kid, his hyperactivity would have been satiated too easily, and he never would have developed his art skills or his creativity.

Themes represented in Garcia’s art center around consumerism and the negativity it propagates.

“This promotion of ‘we need to work more so we can buy more stuff’,” said Garcia. “That started getting into my head when I first came here to the U.S. to study. I realized a lot of people were really hungry for success which pushed me to become better, but on the other hand, it was also too fast for me compared to how people live in Spain.”

Garcia has attended Chico State for four years. Originally he studied animation, but after taking a few figure drawing classes, he decided to switch his major to art.

Some of the pieces in the show are class projects Garcia has done over the last two years. Others he completed in the last three months in preparation for the exhibit.

Once Garcia graduates, he plans to either continue with a graduate program or to get a job and work on his art in his spare time.

“I definitely want to keep developing my skills,” Garcia said.

To see Garcia’s artwork, check out his website or go to the third floor of the BMU. His art will be on display until October 17th. The exhibit is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Emily Neria can be reached at [email protected]