“Rox Gallery”

As we made way to the Rox Gallery, showcasing the “Delusions” exhibit, it’s great to think that any artist, whether small or large, can find a gallery to showcase their work. Tom Smith, who was the artist and our personal tour guide, showcased both the main floor and the basement of the Rox Gallery.

By far, this was one of the more “modern” galleries I have ever stepped into. Did I expect art with curse words to be hung behind the main counter? Or a naked man and woman posing with something over their heads? Or a man lying stark naked in the middle of a Russian main street? Of course not, and it was startling to see such exhibitions to be so proudly displayed on white walls.

The basement was just as crazy and loopy as the main floor. Huge pictures of different colors of leaves, body parts entangled, and just general confusion as you look on each piece.

For example, this picture of 4 limbs attacked to a central mass, if there even is a mass. What is the artist trying to display? As the Rox Gallery’s website describe, these photographs were intended to raise questions, to create metaphors through photographs or paintings. This creation of something that does not exist is a huge contrast to the realistic background. It’s the juxtaposition of something utterly bizarre onto something much more believable. I imagine this creation to be like a spider on a neglected house. Instead, the “spider” aspect is blown into human proportions that give us a very uncanny effect when we look upon it.

Stepping further into the gallery, there you can see Tom Smith’s work. A discordant array of colors that seem to be digitally made rather than made by artist, as Smith reveals. It was colors contrasted by textures contrasted by arrangements. The room that was displayed by the picture above seemed like something out of a color and furniture dystopian world. It really hits me how color makes this much more vibrant and thought provoking. If there wasn’t any coloring, the wires wouldn’t be as noticeable. The light bulb wouldn’t be distinct. Without color, this setting could have been easily mistaken as a room in an old and worn out building. Smith shows us how color can really impact what you see, how you see it, and why you see it.

Leaving the Rox Gallery, it’s really great to see different genres and categories of art being displayed. It really makes you think what defines art.

This series of black and white photos in the Rox gallery caught my attention. The first photo consists of a man placing a big rock on the floor. I assume he was in Egypt, since there are pyramids behind him in the background and he is standing on sand. The next photo shows more rocks on the floor. What confused me was the third photo, since there seemed to be less rocks compared to the previous photo. It didn’t make sense to me; the series of photos should be showing the process in which the man is building a pyramid, so there should be more rocks on the sand as the order of the photos increases. Where did the other rocks go? Did the photographer intentionally do this? The fourth photo shows the man placing the last rock on the top of the pile of rocks he had made. The fifth photo shows a complete pyramid made of rocks; the pyramid is a bit tilted and uneven but we can see that it is a pyramid. We see the man in the distance walking away. The sixth photo is a closer image of the pyramid made with rocks.
I really have no idea what the photographer is trying to convey here. To me, looking at the series of photos in detail, especially at the second and third photo, the photos showed how progress and life in general can be very difficult. We don’t what happened to the rest of the rocks in the third picture but I think it represents how in life, even though we try very hard, there will always be obstacles that keep us from reaching our goal. In the series of pictures, the man continues to build his pyramid. I believe this represents our determination to keep going on even though there are many obstacles and problems we must face. Finally, the man finishes his pyramid. Even though the pyramid is made with uneven rocks and we can see how imperfect it is through its structure, we can see that it still stands. To me, this shows that determination and the will to keep going on will get us to our goal; even if we end up tired and broken at the end, we know that we have still succeeded. I also found it interesting how the photographer was able to capture the man’s small pyramid next to the big, majestic ones of Egypt. To others, his pyramid may be insignificant compared to the actual pyramids behind it but I think the man is satisfied, since he reached his own personal goal of building a pyramid of rocks.

Manet’s “Olympia”  (1863)

Recently, our class went to the Pace Galleries, and I saw the coolest thing ever. The name of this piece of art is Football Face, by Irving Penn, and I thought this picture was attempting to degrade the notion of women putting on make-up. Every time I glance back at the photograph, I think about all the reasons women use cosmetics. Usually, the purpose behind using make-up is to cover up any unwanted marks or blemishes on the face. Perhaps this is a wrong-doing according to Penn, and maybe people should learn to appreciate and take note of what sets them apart from others. Here’s the problem: when people try to meet others, the first thing they’ll look at is each others faces. Therefore, if the face is not looking its best, its a problem.

People are so concerned about the way they look; its evident every time you open up the T.V. Loads of commercials pop-up about eyeliner, lipsticks, mascara, acne treatments, and much more. However, the issue that Penn was trying to point out is that when we use these products, its more or less us creating a mask on the face. Is that the way we are to meet each other, by throwing on a mask before we walk up to them? It happens so quickly and so often that not many of us realize it, but it is true. Women put on all types of skin products, and many try to alter their skin pigmentation. For example, women of darker complexions use facial creams with bleach to lighten their facial color, and others of pale complexions tan their skin to get darker. The problem is that women change themselves to become something that they’re not in order to please the public. At that point, they are deceiving the public.

So what happens when all that make-up comes off? The same thing that happens when  a person’s mask comes off: pure embarrassment. The meaning behind this photograph is extremely intense, and it might just be offending as well. Nonetheless, its inevitable: make-up doesn’t improve the way a person looks. It just makes the person look worse after it comes off.

One of the first pieces of art that anyone would see walking into the Rox Gallery was during the Delusions exhibition was one by the artist Lauren Xandra. Being displayed adjacent to the stairs near the front on the gallery the image immediately caught my eye for its vibrant contrasting colors and unique design. It was different from many other works of art that I have seen and while being extremely neat and clean, it also seemed to be in disarray. So many distinct designs and patterns were all being displayed within the constraint of a single frame. A combination of sleek lines, geometric shapes, and wavy patterns to name a few, were all composing this truly delusional work of art. It was difficult to understand what I was looking at originally, however I could see the effort that went into creating it. White, black, and gold were the three colors that were used to make this work however the arrangement and careful positioning, having the light touch each color made it seem as if there was so much more happening.

This I would soon realize was the beauty of the work in itself. While making it both sleek and precise and still achieving the delusion of making it seem in a state of disorder, a possibility arose within my mind. Was this image in itself a representation of the order that we have held in society, yet continue to perceive as being overwhelming? For example one could describe the exact activities a person would most likely go through on an average day as simply waking up, attending school or work, eating, and returning home and completing any errands or work; basically following a schedule. These although when described like this make the average day seem unassuming and rather orderly would justly be proven wrong when they themselves would experience them. When put together these straightforward tasks become a mixture of confusion and distress. Although being familiar with all the tasks individually much in the same way we are familiar with the distinct colors and patterns, together they are responsible for the disorientation we at times experience.

Strange how something so abstract has so many different means of interpretation. The title of Delusion for the gallery was truly a match in my eyes.

Besides our conversation in class about John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing,” Kara will join us to discuss your art movement and artist interview multimedia assignments in class tomorrow.

This week the College has the honor of hosting Tibetan Monks from the Namcholing Monastery in South India.  Led by Khenchen Rinpoche, the artist-monks will be making a Tibetan sand mandala. If you don’t know anything about sand mandalas, you can click this link for an introduction.

If you are interested in Bhuddhism or in Tibetan art, this is a rich opportunity for exploration.  Master Khenchen Rinpoche will be available for interviews on October 8, from 2-3PM  (VC 1-107).

The exhibition  is open from 9AM-6PM today and tomorrow.  It also includes a photo exhibition, “Voices of Tibet” by Nyra Lang.

It would be weird to draw a self portrait.

At the Rox gallery, this group of mirrors do the work for you. Designed by Ultra Violet to describe selfhood and trapping, their message is clear: this is you. No enhancements, no brush marks- just the regular and present you.

It reminded me a lot about sociology. In this field a man named … Cooley conceptualized the idea of the “looking glass self”. It is the idea that your sense of self, your thoughts and feelings when you view yourself as an object, is attributed to how you see yourself through another persons eyes. First, you  view yourself through another persons shoes, then you imagine them making a judgment about you, and finally you experience a feeling based on that judgement. Those feelings contribute to how you feel about yourself. When looking at these mirrors, you see yourself as how others see you on a daily basis. Through them, you experience a myriad of feelings. You may feel that your eyes are too small, your nose is too big, your bags too prominent, or maybe the contrary: your face is absolutely perfect. Whatever the case is, you add onto your sense of self with these thoughts.

These mirrors also represent change. Nobody stays the same throughout their years of living. People change and evolve and their outward appearance goes along with them. A self portrait when you were 18 years old cannot accurately display what you are like when you are 50 years old. All your experiences will shape who you are and what you look like. Years of experiences can add dimension to yourself and it would show on your face.

Ultimately, these simple mirrors can display everything about yourself without even having to pick up a pencil.