Just down the street from where Chappell and I live, and over the Howard Street Bridge, we went to see MICA’s Grad Show III, specifically this amazing exhibition of graduating Masters Students at the LeRoy Hoffberger School of Painting titled, “Twelve, or Some Final Hour.” The show is up until April 28 so you still have time to check it out!
They have 11 different artists showing their work and all of the work is interesting, exploring a variety of mediums, themes, and techniques.
First up, when you walk in the gallery, you see Antoinette Myers Perry‘s large, colorful, semi-abstract painting. The composition is dynamically balanced and engaging, with clearly defined figures in the foreground, and other mysterious, undefined figures in the background. The color palette is dominated by warm reds, oranges, browns, and beiges, but again balanced by the bright blues at the top and bottom of the painting. Each figure floats through the scene, connected, yet aloof. Upon talking to the artist, she explained the painting centers around Edmonia Lewis, who was the first professional BIPOC sculptor in the United States and the first to achieve international acclaim – she is known for her art depicting the stories of women and Indigenous people with reverence and beauty. For Myers Perry, this painting is an ode to Lewis’ life, as well as an exploration of collective memory. The painting invites the viewer to explore the dynamic, surreal landscape, pulling us in with the large blocks of color and hidden details that are only gleaned upon further investigation. The framed picture in the middle perhaps references the way humans construct our memories around photographs and objects. There is a figure, perhaps an artist with her back to us. We are unable to see her face, again, as with memories, we are unable to fully touch, feel, or know that person as they once were. This painting is a beautiful contemplation on the meetings of memories, people, and history in our lives… it was such a pleasure to talk with the artist and see the work in person!
Another amazing work in the show is pictured above painted by Taj Poscé. It is acrylic on fibered aluminum, with burned tar paper and printer paper on wood panel. The painting immediately grabs your attention in his visceral texture and bold color in the middle of the panel. In the center, he layers stretched acrylic paint films that have holes punctuated throughout it. The effect is beautiful and grotesque, as if the viewer is looking into a colorful wound. In his artist statement, he writes that,
“…his paintings are loaded with emotional rigor, spirit and imagination that respond, reconstruct, and reclaim imagery connected to Black histories, culture, and experiences. Taj is moved by the beauty and plights of Black life. He is constantly seeking the beauty within the present moment, vulnerably showing what it means to carry weight of the past spiritually, while simultaneously being in a state of chaos thinking of the future.”
This artwork by Maria Dobbs is also striking. Drawn on large format paper, the simplicity of line, patten and shape drawn in a wide range of values and high contrast, creates an illusion of an interior space. I didn’t get to speak to the artist, but Chappell and I both really enjoyed the handling of the charcoal on the paper and how she layers liminal spaces within, next to, and on top of one another; it feels as if the viewer is looking through a window into a room of shadows of lace and frames.
Finally this painting is by Amelie Wang, and again, like many of the works in the show, I am draw to it for its large format and blend between abstract shapes and narrative figurative scenes. The contrast in complementary color, as well as texture is really fun to look at. In some areas, like on the left bottom corner, she dilutes the paint so that it runs and drips down into organic, almost moss-like shapes. The oval shapes remind me of Easter eggs. There are shadowy tree branches crossing over a moon in the top left corner, and perhaps some kind of marriage ceremony happening in the top right corner. Good art reveals some aspect of truth, but also makes the viewer ask questions, and I am definitely curious! I like they way she breaks up the composition into patterns; it creates a very dreamy effect.
There were many more works at the show that I didn’t right about, not to mention the other MFA concentrations in other galleries sprinkled across MICA’s campus. Check it out and let me know what you find! Thanks for reading 😀
MONICA HEISER 