Poetry and modern art collide in a new and exciting exhibit at Buffalo's Albright-Knox Art Gallery.
Albright-Knox curator Heather Pesanti, hopes to impact gallery viewers by capturing the essence of the Queen City in an innovative exhibit called Surveyor that opens on Friday. According to Pesanti, the exhibit includes the work of five Buffalonian artists whose creations are being featured with the aim of "weaving together the fabric of the community."
Surveyor is an exhibit focusing on the environment and man's existence in the contemporary landscape around him. Younger, modern artists have recently begun portraying dark underpinnings, such as post-apocalyptic scenes, in their work, and the most recent addition to Albright-Knox will represent these visions while also emphasizing topographical mapping, surveying and surveillance.
The five contributing Buffalonian artists – Michael Basinski, Millie Chen, Bingyi Huang, Peter Stephens, and Paul Vanouse – will curate and put together their own displays in either one or two rooms, depending on the space available.
Throughout the exhibit, these artists have total agency over crafting their own rooms, since they have complete creative freedom in how they interpret the theme of Pesanti's latest venture.
"[This will show] the dialogue between historic work and their own," Pesanti said.
As such, the exhibit will feature the artists' own work while also showcasing selected pieces from the museum's collections.
With this new exhibit, Pesanti continues to pursue the overall mission of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery – generating new shows by working with the museum's own collection while simultaneously including more recent material. The curators at the museum are constantly coming up with their own ideas, and, specifically in this exhibit, Pesanti is putting her own perspective on how to interpret the goal of the museum.
The exhibit is inspired by the works of several poets, and, as such, poetry will play a large role. Pesanti is looking forward to exposing the rare-art poetry books that she spent time researching at the UB libraries, especially since language is another form of landscape to be incorporated. Thus, Surveyor will prove to be a comprehensive collaboration of the work of the individual artists and UB's poetry collection.
Contemporary art will comprise about 80 percent of the exhibit, while the remaining 20 percent will consist of classic and modernist work. This innovative approach to recognizing and putting the environment in which we live at the forefront will showcase artwork that transcends all media boundaries.
Such pieces will include varied mediums such as video, painting, and sculpture. Prominent features will comprise of a large wall painting, a high-tech video projection, and a sculpture of Buffalo with dry ice steaming from it.
"[I want viewers to have a] pure enjoyment of the art. I really want people to have a great and meaningful experience," Pesanti said.
Pesanti is excited to showcase the gems of the new acquisitions, some of which have been kept hidden until now. According to Pesanti, prospective viewers can anticipate the unveiling of forward-thinking, contemporary acquisitions with cutting-edge perception and sublime landscapes.
On display until June 5, art lovers have ample time to experience the complex endeavor that is Surveyor.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
