Collected

When it comes to art, I ordinarily prefer mine straight forward and to the point.  I was stepping out of my comfort zone when I decided to visit Columbia’s “Collected” exhibit.  This exhibit is comprised of student work that has been purchased by the Department of Exhibition and Performance Spaces.  Curator Erik Lundquist focused on presenting handcrafted two dimensional works that display a use of traditional materials and techniques in the artist’s practice.

As I entered the exhibit, I noticed a plethora of attention grabbing pieces.  The piece that I was drawn to first was what appeared to be a cardboard cutout of a man with a giant head alongside an equally large beer bottle.  The piece was titled “Drunk City” and is by an artist simply known as “Don’t Fret.”  I was sucked into this particular piece first because of its size.  The art itself looked as if it were drawn and colored by a talented eight year old with a set of Crayola markers.  Perhaps this was a little too peculiar for me to begin my exhibit trek.  I felt as if I had cannonball’d my way into the frigid waters of abstract art.

The next piece that caught my eye was a 78” x 54” canvas oil painting.  Allow me to paint the canvas on your mind a retelling of “Renunciation,” by artist Brian Willard.  A group of well-dressed but bitter looking elderly people are gathered at the dinner table, which is arranged in a “last supper” style.  The crimson walls blend well with the traditional long wooden table presenting a variety of freshly slaughtered animals such as a goose and a pig.  On the center of the table is a sad woman who appears to be filleting her own skin.  This brings our attention back to the other dinner guests who are focusing their bitter looks on this woman.  I was able to pick up on the message right away and found myself looking at the piece for several extra minutes.  The art was very well drawn and painted.  Traditional enough to please the casual art fan, but definitely unusual enough to fit in with the rest of the “Collected.”

At the end of the gallery was a small dark room playing the exhibit’s one and only video presentation.  I sat down and watched “The Living Fields” for as long as I could.  The volume was almost nonexistent.  It seemed to me that this film relied heavily on audio, so it’s a shame that I could not hear a word of it even when standing right next to the speaker.  I was unimpressed with the visuals and bored within minutes.  All I was able to see were pieces of a naked male figure laying on newspapers and a man, from the chin down, talking.  After giving this film the old college try, I escaped the dark room and ended my tour.

Despite the abstract style of most pieces, and the gut wrenching video presentation, the “Collected” was actually a fun and interesting experience.  Most of the 2D art was very well drawn and fun to look at, and some 3D models add much appreciated flare to the gallery.  I found myself walking back and forth several times to catch pieces I missed and I would recommend any fan of art to spend some time looking at art purchased by Columbia’s D.E.P.S.

The Collected is on display until October 19^th and is located on 618 S Michigan on the 2^nd floor.