The UNH Gallery of Art presents...

Praxis of Happenstance: Eric Katzman / Damion Silver 

November 6 - December 28 , 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, November 14, 2025 | 5-8PM 

“Praxis” refers to the act of habitual application or implementation, distinct from the theory of artistic creation. “Happenstance”, by contrast, is arbitrary, random, and coincidental; often considered antithetical to the deliberate practice of making art. Here, we see these opposing ideas converge in intuitive making, where classical art training is traded for the intricate balance of impulse and awareness. The work relies instead on the intelligence inherent in the creative process itself.

Viewers are encouraged to experience the art as it unfolds before them, mirroring the artists’ own subconscious processes of creation. Intuition subsequently becomes both doctrine and strategy- a conversation between the artist and material. Each gesture is a discussion between color, texture, rhythm, and control, thus allowing the piece to evolve in its own time.

What grows from this approach is neither chaos nor incoherency, but rather a visual narrative framed by chance, emotionality, and adaptation. These works remind us that creation is not formed solely through technical mastery or art-historical theory but also through skill, intuition, and trust between oneself and the medium- a surrender to reveal a deeper level than just mere randomness.

In intuitive practice, praxis and happenstance are no longer contradictory, but rather allies and silent collaborators in the act of artistic discovery. Hesitation becomes rhythm, accident becomes revelation, and works that feel raw and undefined emerge as artifacts in trust.