JIMMY KELLER
Special to The Leader
While looking at the charcoal and pastel drawings by artist Christopher Dorner, I couldn’t help but also see my reflection in the glass. My mirrored face almost simultaneously placed myself in a landscape that reminds me of home. The tranquil, open skies in his paintings and atmospheric tones help recapture the lifelike serenity he wanted to reproduce. Beyond the surface of landscape paintings and drawings, lies deep personal meaning. Landscapes are depicted in the art exhibit “Vantage Point” in the Marion Art Gallery.
“Vantage Point,” is the Department of Visual Arts and New Media’s spring senior show. The exhibit includes artwork by Dorner and 13 other senior art majors. The gallery is currently on display in the Marion Art Gallery through May 7.
Beyond many of the pieces in “Vantage Point” is a meaning that can only be seen in depth through time. This is time spent watching and listening to films in their entirety such as Rex Grant’s work. Time spent reading Patch Parsons’ artist statement and understanding the inspiration. Time spent understanding the ironic and true story of Shengyang Simon Lui’s perspective into a culture that many Americans are ignorant to. These artworks are not only representative of the dedication these seniors put forth the past four years, but also a personal look into the artists that we think we all know.
After interviewing several artists featured in the show, something resonated with me that I think is important for all artists to consider.
Senior film and video arts major Rex Grant said, “As an artist, you shouldn’t be afraid to talk about what you want to talk about … You shouldn’t be nervous about something that is super personal because it’s your story.”
We must not be afraid to create art on a personal level, and in fact, we should embrace it. It is what makes each artist’s work unique. Grant said he was nervous not only for his family viewing his work, but also the public. It is very much a terrifying process because you never know how people will react, and I think that’s the greatest thing about producing works of art. Each viewer will react differently and each will have their own opinion outside the artist’s control.
There is a fine line between intent and attempting to control one’s opinion. In Dorner’s words regarding his art, “It’s creating a safe space for the viewer to get lost in there, [and] possibly explore what they can do in the future.”
He does not force the viewer to like nor dislike his work, but rather invites them to take it upon themselves to find their own thoughts within the piece. He uses his art to create a space, possibly as a place for the viewer to reflect on their life, just as he does in these landscapes. The landscape he painted was of Tillman Nature Preserve in Clarence, N.Y. This is a place where he finds peace and tranquility, then tries to replicate this feeling into his art.
The personal look is also true with Shengyang Simon Lui’s graphic design and sculptural art hanging in the center of the gallery. At first glance, in his piece “100 Nutrition,” we see a bio-engineered animal with big eyes and an erect penis, but there is something deeper that people might not at first see.
Lui grew up in China but came to America for high school and college. Experiencing both of these polarizing cultures expanded his understanding of stereotypes produced mainly by American media. What us born and raised Americans might be blind to, gets highlighted, literally and metaphorically, through his piece in the gallery.
“This project started with the food culture as a starting point, but it’s actually not framed by the food culture,” Lui explained. “I just want to tell people a bigger vision of how you [Americans] criticize and see the stereotypes and think about human ethics.”
Before the viewer even reads his artist statement, we can analyze this through his work. When viewing the printed graphic design panels surrounding the piece, we begin to notice the ironic verbiage that markets this new animal with ancient Chinese traditions and satirical modern media.
“Vantage Point” is a title meant to describe multiple viewpoints whether it be uncomfortable conflict, newly imagined worlds, or pieces with new knowledge.
The artists in this show include: Valerie Barbera, Morgan Byham, Katelyn Davis, Christopher Dorner, Rachel Gonzalez, Rex Grant, DJ Henderson, Allison Kohl, Shengyang Simon Lui, Lochlainn O’Connell, Patch Parsons, Angelo Petrilli, Bijen Tandukar, and Savi Williams.
I feel that these 14 artists are more connected than they think. They each found something personal within their lives to openly share with the world, something that an art environment creates the ideal community for.
If you haven’t been able to take a walk through the Marion Gallery, there is about a week left before it comes to an end.
If you are one of the 250 people that attended opening night, maybe it’s worth a revisit to take in each piece in its entirety. Make sure to spend time there and come with an open mind. There is much to be learned and appreciated about each other, each culture and each point of view.
All photographs by Drew Paluch