The Human Crab by Jake Guttormsson, The Hare and the Tortoise by Jake Guttormsson, Plate of Shrimp (Lattice of Coincidence) by Rob Weiss, Stella by Rob Weiss
(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) presents Lost and Found (and Lost Again), a two-artist exhibition featuring new works by Jake Guttormsson and Rob Weiss, curated by Jeremy Moss. The exhibition will be on view from November 13, 2025, through January 18, 2026, in the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC.
Lost and Found (and Lost Again) brings together two distinct artistic voices who explore cycles of rediscovery, transformation, and the fragile beauty of impermanence. Together, their work examines what it means to lose, recover, and reinvent again and again.
Guttormsson’s sculptures conjure an otherworldly bestiary of creatures, each formed from reclaimed and organic materials. His tactile constructions evoke the process of piecing together fragments of the familiar into something wholly new, creating creatures that feel simultaneously ancient and alive. “I like working with remnants, materials that already have a life,” Guttormsson explains. “Each sculpture begins as something discarded and becomes something unexpected, almost alive again.” His works invite viewers into an imagined world drawn from an invented mythology called Fang Creek, where memory and imagination intertwine, offering a glimpse of the unseen and forgotten made tangible once more.
Weiss, a painter and illustrator, presents dynamic compositions that blur the line between gesture and form. His self-defined series Beast Mode, Practical Effects, and Limbic move between surreal figuration and abstraction, exploring the emotional edge where memory, rhythm, and intuition collide. His layered surfaces and hand-carved details pull viewers into a visual language of energy, movement, and introspection. Influenced by film, literature, and speculative fiction, Weiss uses humor and pop sensibility to reflect the tension between chaos and clarity in contemporary life. “Reality is neck and neck with speculative fiction,” he observes, “and decency is being squeezed out on the rail.”
Curator Jeremy Moss describes the pairing as “a celebration of the imagination, an escape from reality, and just plain fun.” Guttormsson’s off-kilter figures and their imagined worlds form a perfect counterpoint to Weiss’s pop-infused compositions that subvert expectation. Lost and Found (and Lost Again) invites audiences to wander between these creative universes, discovering a shared curiosity about what is discarded, remembered, or reborn.
An opening reception will take place on Thursday, November 13, from 6:00pm–8:00pm. Admission is free and open to the public.
The South Orange Performing Arts Center offers audiences exhilarating and diverse arts entertainment in its intimate venue, serving as the cultural heartbeat of the greater South Orange/Maplewood region and contributing to the economic and social vibrancy of its highly diverse community.
SOPAC is an accessible cultural destination that presents world-class artists in an intimate and welcoming environment. The Jennifer & Tony Leitner Performance Hall is a 439-seat mainstage theatre with superb acoustics, sight lines and seating. Audiences remark that performances in this space are like having their favorite artists right in their own living room. Artists acknowledge that the atmosphere encourages conversations with audiences. The Loft at SOPAC is a 2,185 square-foot multi-purpose space used for performances, rehearsals, classes, and special events.
The unique architecture of SOPAC’s building, which includes a stunning 3-story glass-enclosed atrium, is also home to the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery. Beyond the building, SOPAC co-produces local events such as South Orange Summer Nights and serves students and schools through its arts education residencies.
SOPAC is invested in arts education. SOPAC serves students and schools in our region through a School Performance Series, performing Arts Residencies, and an annual juried art exhibit entitled INSPIRED MINDS: Young Artist Exhibition. SOPAC also collaborates with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts each year to host the Region 5 Poetry Out Loud competitions. The Seton Hall University Arts Council presents a diverse range of events at SOPAC with seasoned professionals, students, and faculty.
Nearly twenty years in the making, SOPAC first opened its doors in 2006. South Orange Village Trustees, in partnership with Seton Hall University, envisioned SOPAC as the center of an ambitious redevelopment plan. Through collaborative leadership and community support, SOPAC has become a cultural centerpiece for the region, an economic driver for the community, and a catalyst for artistic opportunity.
