The University Union gallery is hosting “Silvery Synthesis,” an exhibit that combines 35mm film photography and mixed media by artist Dominick Porras.

Porras is an adjunct instructor at Sacramento State and the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is also the co-founder of Sol Collective, a community-based art hub in Sacramento.

“This is where I started as a photography student – an immersive artist,” Porras said about Sac State. “It inspired me to go into this field.”

Along with standalone photography captured on 35mm black and white film, Porras plays with assembling and arranging the photos, creating an extended space beyond the confines of the framed work. Materials such as fishing nets, film cassettes and tule, are used to reflect traditional Indigenous culture and philosophies.

Stepping into the exhibit, the audience is made to feel like they are following a character navigating elements of nature and community. The character is witnessed wandering a gradually more modern setting as the exhibit progresses.

“This character is Indigenous in the present, reinventing an old narrative,” Porras said. “I try to add another perspective through this character, a notion for people to understand what Indigenous experience is.”

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Using four separate photo frames, Porras recreates a space where the audience can see the fishing scene realistically.

“This is about the life-size; people are able to see more details,” Porras said. “Netting is a universal practice. I want to create a look to simulate the process of trapping fishes.”

The reception night on Feb. 20 was attended by many students, visitors, as well as Porras’ family and friends.

J. Andrea Porras, a curator and Porras’ sister, said she is happy that Porras has shifted from creating art for others to creating it for himself. She said she loves how her brother repurposes materials in his work.

“It’s wonderful that he uses what’s accessible to him,” J. Andrea Porras said. “This work was Rasquachismo, meaning you work with what you have.”

Mackenzie Collins, a visitor on the reception night, said she thought Porras’s work was stunning both in photography technique and cultural value.

“This is my first time seeing his work,” Collins said. “I think it’s a beautiful reflection of family, the connection of humans with land and the culture that he comes from.”

The exhibit will be on display until March 13. More information about the exhibit can be found here.