Multiple Artists

IN FLUX Cycle 10  

IN FLUX Cycle 10 includes 12 artworks in six cities across the Valley, including four pieces here in Scottsdale. IN FLUX provides opportunities for local artists to create site-specific, temporary public art installations. 

Artists  

Hector Ortega 
Reliance  

Hector Ortega’s sculpture Reliance is inspired by the interconnections we all share in our daily lives—how our interactions with each other as people and members of society influence the human condition. We have a great impact on each other’s lives. We share in this ongoing narrative collectively, each bringing our own set of values and experiences to the world, interdependent of each other; it’s part of the connection we share to make this a better place, one idea and action—all pieces of a greater work we call life. 

Ortega is an Arizona-based artist whose work is focused on multidisciplinary arts practice, primarily in metals (steel and silver). Ortega works in all scales of size, from small, machined, purpose-built objects to large-scale, abstract, three-dimensional sculptures in the public and private realms. Ortega’s large-scale work focuses on geometrical relationships, interconnections, and constraints in a particular space. Geometry, life’s experiences, constraints, and his current environment often inspire the interconnections between each fabricated element of any given work to inspire others to better this world through his efforts. 

Installation: May 25, 2022, through Spring 2024 

Location: Northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Oak Street  

Christopher Luper
Fragmented Reflection 

This digital gesture is a manifestation of the mindsets and processes accessed to realize it. Gesture, in its rudimentary form, is a subconscious movement made with spontaneity and rhythm. The post-gesture reflects the previous and allows for the growth and elaboration of said concepts. Fragmented Reflection captures both mindsets, gestural and post-gestural freedom of motion with a machined hand. The fluidity of the initial gesture is captured through a brushstroke-like motion, while the contemporary perspective is demonstrated with a simple fragmented mirror image of itself. 

Christopher Luper was born and raised in the northwest Chicago suburbs and received a bachelor of fine arts in painting and drawing at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Luper pursued a master of fine arts at Arizona State University in sculpture, specializing in foundry. His works often revolve around the importance of mindset and process. Luper believes our attention guides our perception of the world around us and shapes our internal landscape extensively. The work he does requires a tremendous amount of attentiveness and patience, which is often manifested through abstract forms. 

Installation: May 25, 2022, through Spring 2024 

Location: Northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Roosevelt Street

Yuke Li 
The Magic of Water 

The Magic of Water is a mural to light up our mundane life and appreciate water resources. The combined shape of the pipe and well is unlike the block-shaped houses in the neighborhood. And the mural resonates with the dynamic and gentle character of both water and the shape of the pipe. The primary colors are blue, azure, orange, and pink. It represents water and desert, cool and hot. 

Yuke Li is a visual artist and storyteller trained at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has worked in the creative field for more than 10 years. Li works digitally and traditionally, using visual language to express emotions and thoughts. Her work has been recognized by the ADC Annual Award, American Illustration, and Bologna Children’s Book Fair. She is working on public art projects and her personal graphic novel this year. 

Installation: May 9, 2022, through June 30, 2024 

Location: City of Scottsdale water riser and the concrete SRP well site on the south side of Thomas Road between north 81st Way and north 82nd Street

Shirley Wagner
Zenith, Surge, and Bliss 

Three dynamic and colorful figures, each 8 feet tall, are in the three landscape beds at Miller Plaza. Zenith, Surge, and Bliss are hand-fabricated from steel and powder-coated in a vibrant color palette with a gloss sheen. Each figure is made from a series of abstract metal geometric shapes that twist and turn in space. Each piece occupies space differently and relates to each other in its design and scale. Responding to the existing architecture and the scale of the public area, the vibrantly colored figures soar into space. These dynamic figurative sculptures tell a story and enhance the identity of the plaza, which includes businesses focused on fitness, aesthetics, and wellness. 

Shirley Wagner is a Tucson artist. She graduated with a fine arts degree from Youngstown University in Ohio. Her favorite art class was sculpture, where she developed a love of form and structure. She has been fabricating wall assemblages in her Arizona studio for nearly three decades. The art of American artist Louise Nevelson inspired her early work in wood. In the last two years, Wagner has moved her focus from wall assemblages to large-scale figurative sculptures in metal. Continuing her ongoing dialogue with form and structure, her three-dimensional figures entertain a narrative revolving around human emotion. With this new endeavor, she is setting her sights on public art. 

Installation: July 1, 2022, through June 6, 2023 

These sculptures are now permanently part of Miller Plaza! 

Location: Miller Plaza – northeast corner of Miller Road and Indian School Road