Focusing on the issues of interpersonal communication and psychological states of intimacy and isolation, "Hearing Aids and Other Personal Prosthetics," presented by the UWM Union Art Gallery, juxtaposes the "ambiguous body objects" of Yeugeniya Kaganovich with the "absurd character images" of Heather Layton.

Kaganovich's displayed work -- 15 crafted objects resembling semi-realistic looking but seemingly useless body appendages -- is part of an on-going project she's been working on to intensify the various modes of communication between people.

"I've been building more and more bodily extensions, and then I build on the context in which they are seen." Her work, she says, can be thought of as body extensions that display a psychological condition and as projections of mental habits and bodily knowledge.

"As wearable objects, these 'hearing aids' allow people to listen more carefully on a literal and metaphorical level -- feeling emotions more intensely."

Many of her pieces, composed of various flesh-toned rubbers and balloons, have a sea urchin quality to them.

"They were meant to look like receptors for plants and animals that ultimately fail. It's kind of that third eye you always want in the back of you head. But then, you get one and all that happens is you realize that your friends are talking about you behind your back. For me, it's a way to address the futility of the human effort to communicate."

Kaganovich, who received her Masters of Fine Arts from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Metal/Jewelry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is currently an assistant professor in the Visual Art Department at UWM heading the Jewelry and Metalsmithing Area.

Heather Layton's work -- various fictional but human-like characters with nonhuman-like features -- shifts the focus to the inevitable isolation we experience when communication fails. By juxtaposing her images with Kaganovich's devices, she "takes us into the exaggerated world of these attachments to the body, where the prosthetic begins to morph into the body to the point where the true body and the fabricated body are unrecognizable in their pure forms," explains gallery manager Andrea Skyberg.

Layton graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with a BFA in Art Education and 2-D Design. She taught art in the public school system before returning to complete an MFA in Painting from SUNY New Paltz. She is currently teaching at the University of Rochester.

Although the two artists have known each other for six years, it is their first collaboration together. "It was Heathers idea, originally, but we were both interested in examining the dialogue between my objects and her images," says Kaganovich.

"Kaganovich focuses on the ability of sculptural objects to communicate ideas through their implied use, whereas Layton's drawings and paintings examine the dynamics of intimacy and isolation of characters often trapped in a world of contradictions and miscommunication," says Skyberg. "Though they create their work independently of each other, it is bridged by the creation of these unsettling and ambiguous spaces."

She adds, "With the use of technological devises of communication and the enhancement and prosthetic surgeries becoming more and more popular, I find the work of Heather and Yeugeniya to be very important in the current discourse of body modification and human connection. These pieces serve as instruments for the viewer to explore their acceptance or rejection of these contemporary ways of life and reflect on the purpose of their own interactions with society."

"Hearing Aids and Other Personal Prosthetics" runs through Feb. 16. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 5 to 8 p.m. Both artists will give a talk about the exhibit at noon on Jan. 27.

Union Art Gallery is located at 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. on the Campus level and is free and open to the public. The hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.