Out of this world: Phil Space exhibit explores UFOs, aliens and mysterious sightings

Kathaleen Roberts, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

May 7—Some of us really want to believe.

Mysterious lights. Sinister saucers. Alien abductions. Between 1947 and 1969, at the height of the Cold War, more than 12,000 UFO sightings were reported to Project Blue Book, a small, top-secret Air Force team.

Santa Fe's Phil Space Gallery has gathered more than 50 artists giving their own interpretations of UFOs, aliens and mysterious sightings. The artwork ranges from prints, photographs, paintings, sculpture and mixed-media, all referencing things that go bump in the night sky.

Curators Tim Jag and Michael Abatemarco put out a call for local artists. They were inundated with works with a serious theme, as well as more humorous takes on close encounters.

"Tim and I fall more into the skeptic camp," Abatemarco said. "There are so many government reports and agencies. The evidence they collected says there's something there."

The duo also interviewed personal UFO encounters and put them on audio for guests to listen to on provided headphones.

"I'm excited about the audio recordings we did," Abatemarco said. "No one was necessarily sure about what they encountered. In some cases, people mentioned waiting years to tell anyone out of fear they might not be believed."

Saucer-shaped UFOs dominate the exhibit, he said.

Artist Anna Evans embroidered a jacket with UFO imagery.

"On the back is a huge eye with 'want to believe,' " Abatemarco said.

The artist Robert Davis, who makes large-scale UFO sculptures, is installing one in front of the gallery.

San Francisco artist Tim Toribio created prints of his personal encounters. He creates mystery lights and UFOs soaring over landscapes.

Santa Fe graphic artist Jamie Case, creates illustrations inspired by sci-fi/fantasy author Edgar Rice Burroughs' books. He added panels depicting early man with alien beings titled "First World."

Others took a more whimsical bent. Santa Fe's Shakti Howeth painted a female alien in Old Dutch Master style.

Abatemarco attributed the response to the times.

"I think it's probably due to the fact that the phenomenon is so widespread," he said.