UH Libraries News

The Jenkins Library is pleased to announce an exhibition featuring the work of undergraduate UH Sculpture student Marla Gallardo!

Marla Gallardo, Mar’s Planets, 2026

In Marla’s words:

“As a sculptor, I create installations that encourage interaction, curiosity, and shared experience, using color and decoration to create spaces where connection and joy can emerge.  After the pandemic, my perspective on community changed.  Spending time with others making art, talking, sharing, or simply existing together became a sacred act, and this sense of togetherness continues to guide my work.

As a young Hispanic woman with immigrant parents, I navigate the feeling of being seen but not fully understood.  This shows up in my practice through my desire to create environments where people can connect without needing to explain themselves.  Instead of focusing on difference, I build spaces where shared presence is enough.

I am interested in making others happy, and in turn making myself happy.  My work explores color, repetition, and interactive environments, treating decoration as a serious artistic language.  I use high-dopamine colors, vibrant hues that create an immediate emotional pull and sense of energy.

Displayed in the library, the piece exists alongside books and shared knowledge, reinforcing my belief that art and learning are collective experiences.”

Marla has also curated a book display for the library, focusing on women sculptors.

“This book display is an extension of my sculptural practice, bringing together research and history that informs the mark-making choices I make today. Looking closely at female artists helps me understand where I’m coming from and how my work fits into a larger lineage.  I am especially drawn to Louise Bourgeois and Yayoi Kusama. Bourgeois’s view on womanhood and self-expression, along with her constant and repetitive way of working, really resonates with me. I often think about her large ‘mama spider’ sculptures. Kusama’s use of repetition through dots and her “obliteration rooms”, which are designed to be changed through interaction, also influences how I think about space and participation.

Marla’s book display in the Jenkins Art, Architecture and Design Library. All titles are available for checkout.

“These books act as tools, but also as something more. The ability to check out up to 99 books from the architecture library feels like a kind of abundance, a way of holding and gathering knowledge. As students, we are able to surround ourselves with information about art in a way that feels almost excessive, but also really inspiring. I created an interactive installation called Craft Party that explored this connection between art and knowledge, and this display continues that idea.

“There is something to learn from these artists, but what that is changes depending on the
person. Even just looking through the images can be enough to spark something.”

Marla’s work will be on display through April 24.

Marla even made some sculptures for the bookcase.