The current exhibit displayed at the Mesa Art Gallery intrigues the mind and pleases the eye. Filled with many wall drawings and some three-dimensional pieces, “Expanding-Eel Devourer” is open to the public until Oct. 1.
Alexander Lee, a student at School of Visual Arts in New York, returned to Mesa to create an intricate gallery inspired by a Tahitian legend. Born in Tahiti, Lee grew up hearing these legends as playful bedtime stories. Now as an aspiring artist, he incorporates his childhood with his artwork.
As the legend goes, there was a festivity to honor the gods in which the people had to remain extremely still and quiet. However, one girl became restless and ran to the nearby river. The gods were furious and therefore paralyzed her while she was swimming.
As she sank to the bottom of the river, a giant eel emerged and swallowed her whole; thus making the girl and the eel one entity. Part eel and part girl, the creature broke the island in two. It then fused with the broken pieces of island to form Tahiti.
Lee’s three-dimensional pieces embody this legend impressively. While staying true to the legend, he incorporates the oceanic feel of Tahiti. In one piece he uses black sand. Raised on a black sand beach, Lee saw the sand as appealing.
“I like how it’s fantastic but it’s also not easy to digest. As an object it’s also not easy to work with either. It’s not something you can put on your wall or put it in your living room.”
Though all pieces were majestic, Lee was especially proud of the intricate wall drawings. Each drawing was designed with the stars in mind. Lee “wanted to use it as a sort of case study of our own culture and our fascination of the unknown.”
Lee alone could not have created these pieces due to the great amount of detail required. Throughout the last couple of weeks, students from various Mesa art classes assisted Lee in his masterpieces. In fact, Lee considered them a vital factor in the project. Many of Lee’s coworkers agreed that Lee had inspired the students to achieve their goals.

Lee intends to continue his art when the gallery is over. He hopes to keep experimenting and open a gallery in Los Angeles. “I always push myself to do something new and bigger or better. I had something that I sort of tested out and I wanted to make it into something great,” said Lee