Wilson Commons

Time Tripper

Artists: Alex Pixley Young

Dates: March 7 2024 - March 30 2024

• Artist Statement

  Nature is a shifting concept defined and redefined by the culture and time that writes, observes, documents, pollutes, builds, and burns it. The politics of visual culture expand as we experience the trauma and sublimity of our world amplified by media. In the 21st century, the skyline of dying industrial technologies gives way to newer technologies from cell phone towers to solar and wind farms. Today our wilderness is cultivated, engineered, bounded and bordered. Our interest in understanding nature is often constrained to media screens and the poles of beauty or terror; where we swing wildly from blissed-out imagery of travel log sites to the never-ending news of oil spills, deforestation, wildfires, tsunamis, and floods. Yet, from the primal to political, haptic to hallowed, landscape is the void, the space, and the ever-thrumming vibration of life that moves us forward. In Time Tripper, Alice Pixley Young uses the confines of darkness and the art of shadowplay as a timeless medium, capable of weaving narratives that stretch across epochs. Time Tripper invites viewers to embark on a journey through deep time, where shadows cast echoes of primordial landscapes, contemporary realities, and future uncertainty. Yet, the scene she pulls us into is seductive in its dreamlike state and the primal elements of shadows draw viewers in to become complicit actors in her world.

Merging Dimensions

Artists: Anna Reed

Dates: January 25 2024 - February 19 2024

• Artist Statement

  "Merging Dimensions," invites viewers to consider the intricate relationship between technology and humanity, focusing specifically on the transformative impact of social media and personal devices. Through digital photographs, mixed media artworks, and assemblages, this collection explores how these ever-present digital companions shape our identities, relationships, and perceptions of self.
  
  Employing her own body, Anna Reed interrogates the boundaries of personal and digital spaces, challenging the notion of the "self" in an increasingly interconnected world. Mixed media assemblages seamlessly blend tactile elements with digital components, blurring the lines between the physical and virtual realms. These artworks act as visual metaphors, reflecting the complexity of our contemporary existence and the fluctuating nature of our digital lives.
  
  Digital photographs, captured through low-tech devices, create intimate moments where technology and humanity converge. Vivid color and fragmented images both draw the viewer in and obscure information. They evoke emotions of connection, isolation, closeness, and vulnerability, prompting us to question which of our versions of self are complete. "Merging Dimensions" invites viewers to reflect on the effects of social media on mental health, privacy, and interpersonal relationships. The exhibition provokes conversations about the privacy of personal data, personal agency, and the nebulous boundaries of our digital identities.

Mortals and Gods

Artists: Benjamin Entner

Dates: October 6 2023 - November 2 2023

• Artist Statement

  I create works that are the result of play or experimentation, and that range conceptually with my
  many interests: children’s literature, Classical sculpture, fire, Roman history, Michelangelo,
  patterns, sea life. Often the only constant is the importance placed on an imperfect and obsessive
  craft, whether seen or not, and a sarcastic sense of humour. Additionally, within the gravitas of
  the art space, I often try to inspire a childlike nostalgia and wonder by engaging the viewer with
  an object or environment that is fun, funny, playful, awesome, and/or rad.