art thesis display

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It is with great pride and pleasure that I invite you to take a look at the final thesis projects of our graduating students.

The Degree Show website was launched initially in 2020. For the first time in the history of IVS, the thesis display could not take place in the usual physical setting. 2020 was an unusual year in so many ways and our students as well as faculty had to adapt to new modes of learning, creating and presenting their work. The challenges of the global pandemic forced us all to engage differently with our social world and our creative practices. Yet the results of this tumultuous, experimental period were impressive in their range and focus, and gave birth to the first-ever IVS online degree show. The website allowed viewers to engage with the works up close and in their own time. Therefore, we have decided to make it a permanent annual feature that will accompany and complement the in-person shows.

I hope you will take your time exploring all these wonderful works of art, design and architecture, and will come back to enjoy your favorites again and again.

Dr. Faiza Mushtaq Dean and Executive Director Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture

IVS 2021 Thesis Display: A new spin on art imitating life

IVS opens its door to showcase the talent and labours of its graduating batch of 2021

The Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture opened its door to showcase the talent and labours of its graduating batch of 2021 on Monday.

Replete with artists and aesthetes, the timeless Nusserwanjee Building looked like an art museum with the final projects of students from all five departments - fine arts, architecture, interior design, communication design and textile design - on display. The exhibition carried a variety in the media the artists chose to work on, ranging from ceramics, textile, design, to photography and architecture. But all made a point - reflecting life-changing moments in the lives of the artists.

While the themes ranged from socio-political commentary to sustainable fashion, fine art students failed to escape the rapidly urbanising world around them.

The Price We Pay for Progress: Aliza Ghaffar’s deeply personal Fine Art thesis, now on display at the school, is an attempt at linking urbanisation and the corresponding increase in the population of people living in Karachi to the disappearance of skies.

“I live in Gulistan-e-Johar, and this is what I see from my balcony,” she points to a partially cut canvas with congested little balconies painted on it.

“This is all I can see, I cannot see the sky because there are so many buildings, so I’ve eliminated the sky from my painting because all I see from my window are skyscrapers.”

Three feet from Aliza’s saturated paintings stand Syed Ahmed Uddin’s audio installations. He comments on the unauthorised, unplanned and growing real estate development in and around the neighbourhood of Karachi’s North Nazimabad.

His socio-political commentary falls under the umbrella of urbanisation because of the way the city is planned. Party flags at every new construction site; fresh tarmacadam roads before each election – in Karachi, everything, even urbanisation is happening for political gain.

“This is the future of Karachi’s sea,” said Mashaal Amjad pointing towards her intricately-made sketch of around 30 boats in one single frame.

“My work is about unsustainable fishing practices and the irreparable loss of marine life these poor fishing techniques have caused. These drawings explore an imagination of how the marine animals will adapt to the new changes caused by humans.”

Mashaal’s meticulous sketches of marine life as vessels that have mutated are awe-inspiring and leave the viewers rather frightened for the future of the city’s sea.

Afiya Asif’s thesis called ‘Reborn’ was yet another imitation of how urban development continues to magnify the risk of environmental hazards. Ornamenting a room entirely with tree barks, stems and roots, she lamented how Karachi continues to ‘develop’ and in turn, continues to destroy thousands of trees every year.

“During the pandemic, I noticed some plantations being dumped outside my house by construction workers. This made me curious and I started working on how to stop it from losing its form and becoming useless,” she said.

“I realised it would decay on its own, so I thought of utilising it and reincarnating it into a new form.”

Afiya’s work revolves around the creation of an alternate reality with plants that had lost their original form.

In the Realm of the Senses:

While most of the Fine Art thesis spoke volumes about the menace of rapid urbanisation, some installations transported viewers to a sensory realm.

Bilal Jabbar’s stimulating installation revolved around the hidden poetry of everyday objects. He used silverware to make the statement, connecting and arranging them in ways that go beyond their mundane function.

The emotive yet in-vogue quality of Aswad Anees’ work is what made his installation one of the most popular ones.

Explaining the thought process behind his interlocked LED-lit threads, he said, “I moved to Karachi from Larkana and the thing that had the most impact on me was the pace of this city. I was also interested in photography, so I used to take long-exposure shots of the city’s traffic. This installation is how I see Karachi’s pace.”

His lustrous work also became the backdrop for photos the onlookers took for their social media.

Ceramic artist Aisar Abbas’ display was about hybrid toys. In his words, his childhood inspired him to come up with this idea for his thesis of ‘Unedited Feelings’.

“During my childhood, I had a medical condition because of which I was isolated. I had a lot of toys to play with, and that basically led me to see toys as more than objects,” he said.

The standout piece in his display is a ceramic sculpture of a baby with a varifocal camera as its head.

All in all, the body of work produced by the students possessed sincere hints of the human touch, something that is often absent from the commercial design of our country.

And while some may argue that the visual recreations of memory are best designed in contemporary art studios, it can be reasoned that perhaps the old stone building with high ceilings and lingering visions of talent is what makes for an ideal campus for an art school. The thesis display for the graduating class ends on December 24th.

View a slideshow of the art here.

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Art Studio Seniors Display Thesis Exhibitions from the Art Studio Program in the Zilkha Gallery

This month, the Center for the Arts is hosting three virtual opening receptions for 19 graduating art studio majors to showcase their work as part of the Senior Thesis Exhibition.

Since Zilkha Gallery is only open to Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff during the pandemic, the virtual format allows alumni, parents, friends, and other members of the Wesleyan community to view the students’ work.

“We’re hoping to create access—especially for those of you who are not on campus—to see these shows in person and see what [the artists’] work looks like in space and scale,” said Benjamin Chaffee , associate director of visual arts and adjunct instructor of art. “We’ll also have a chance for some brief conversations with each of the artists who can enlighten us about their process. Our hope is that these conversations might approximate one aspect of an opening reception—the opportunity to hear directly from the exhibiting artist about their work.”

Julia Randall , associate professor of art and senior thesis coordinator, said the studio art thesis is likely the most challenging and immersive creative project accomplished by the students during their time at Wesleyan. The seniors work independently in their studios while receiving regular feedback from their advisors. “This is an intense process of discovery that involves a great deal of sweat, research, and managing doubt,” Randall said. “It requires studio art majors to …work towards breakthroughs and to embrace failures along the way.”

On April 21, Chaffee interviewed six seniors who discussed their work through the second virtual opening reception. Images are below:

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Emerging Voices: A Kaleidoscope Of Perspectives In NCA’s 2024 Thesis Display

The nca thesis display stands as a testament to the enduring power of art in unravelling the threads of existence. as viewers engage with these visual narratives, they are invited to transcend the confines of conventional thinking..

• Sara Javed Rathore
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In a world defined by divergent viewpoints, NCA’s artist thesis display serves as a poignant exploration of the complex interplay between perspectives, with a myriad of mediums at use. The canvases echo the tangible rage felt within the human spirit, challenging prevailing norms and questioning the very essence of identity, inviting viewers to contemplate the intricacies of personal and collective struggles.

Noor’s art reminded me of Albert Aurier’s momentous essay ‘Le Symbolisme en Peinture”-- therein, Aurier talks of symbolism in art:

“The goal of painting . . . cannot be the direct representation of objects. Its end purpose is to express ideas as it translates them into a special language…all the while remembering that the sign, however indispensable, is nothing in itself and the idea alone is everything.”

This sentiment is ripe in Noor-ul-Huda’s work and she captures it in such a dreamlike trance that you feel suspended between lullabies sung by the morphing color palette of her paintings. Her work explores the dissociation of existence in terms of human relationships and the liminal space around them. “To exist in a space yet to not  be there,” she said, walking with me back and forth between her displays and pointing out the minute details.

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Noor’s painting, specifically the ones titled ‘ Farida ke Baagh Mein Vincent ki Shaam’ and ‘Maghreb’ were striking– bound by the fading quality of a memory and the slow corrosion of time. When talking about the medium, she pointed to specific portions that molded together and yet disconnected– two women, suspended in time, looking out at the audience in a manner that said, “Do you see me? I am looking at you– are you looking at me? Am I the persistent voyeur, or are you?” I look closely and there is a third set of eyes– Frida Kahlo’s visage imprinted on a cushion in the settee. “The treatment I evolved… is in layers… I left it in washes because I was disconnecting the space, yes, but also the past and the present.”

Degas’ work has always been to me a study in fluidity– from The Rehearsal to The Tub . Noor’s work too is a reminder of the study of motion in art– especially owing to the fact that she combines the viscosity of paint with the motion of life shows up in an incredible, harrowing manner.

Iman’s art was striking– I had a grin on my face as soon as I saw it. If other pieces had subtlety to the manner in which they countered the experience of being a woman in a patriarchal society, Iman’s work took the narrative and turned it to face the glaring problem. I thought of the sillage in the walls in monsoon. Water seeps through, the plaster cracks, the wall crumbles, and then we see the glaring issue. Iman’s work is evocative, gritty and quite literally, layered in the way it perceives the problem of existing in a society that is so people focused. I was overjoyed by the warmth and passion with which she dealt with something that leaves one grappling with their own identity.

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Sometimes, art feels like a bath of cold water on a December morning. That is exactly what Iman encapsulates– through a medium that stands out.

“You have been to the tailor, right? You will talk them through your measurements, and it still ends with them saying– no, this might be too ill-fitting. Add to that the fact that when I joined a musical society in NCA, the one question I got most often was– you wear the hijab . Will you seriously sing and play music?”

She said it all with such a bright smile on her face and I could see that she had taken the shame and humiliation that society casts on any person wanting to exist outside the box, and channelled it into her art. It pinches, yes, as the intricately used safety pins in her work represent, yet on the outside all one sees is an expertly put together net of sorts– a protective element– yet only the wearer of the shroud comprehends the angst and pain of donning it. 

In Futurist Painting: Technical Manifesto, Marinetti’s translation of the work best describes what Iman captures and how she transcends the traditional realms of expression:

“Let’s… proclaim the absolute and complete abolition of finite lines and the contained statue.”

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Maidah Waqar Butt’s art reminded me of my childhood affinity for the Indus Valley Civilization– there was lately conversation on a lot of platforms, where people argued what historical period was their childhood obsession. The consensus was mostly the Roman Empire or the Egyptian civilization. I was instantly reminded of my love for the Mesopotamian and Harappan architecture, begging my parents to take me to visit the sites (unfortunately, we never did). Maidah’s expertly created figurines that give these neolithic sculptures color and life took me back about ten years ago to that time.  Venus of Willendorf was one of those figures I always looked at with awe– when we currently see the ‘celebration’ of the female form, what we see is it reduced to its aesthetic appeal; it exists to be beautiful and to be consumed.

Maidah’s art steps out of the 21st century bonds of everything existing for the consumer and takes us back to an era that was rooted in naturalism– it celebrated the female form and its anatomy, bringer of life, not stuck in the plastic confined of a neoliberal world that reduces it to nill. Neolithic figurines from Europe, to Asia to Africa looked at the anatomy of the female body with reverence, I’d even argue, worshipped it– it was she that ensured survival.

Venus of Willendorf was one of those figures I always looked at with awe– when we currently see the ‘celebration’ of the female form, what we see is it reduced to its aesthetic appeal; it exists to be beautiful and to be consumed.

Maidah, in her pieces such as ‘ embroil’ and ‘bearing/baring,’ takes the reins and steers the conversation back towards our roots. I asked her, “Have you been criticized for your representation of the raw, vulnerable female form without the confines constituted by patriarchy?” as she showed me some of her expertly created clay figurines. “Of course, from a lot of people. Especially ones closest to me– but this is what I enjoy about the representation of the female form in Neolithic art. It doesn’t shy away, and neither did I.”

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Vania Mazhar’s representation of the mundanity of life struck me as soon as I walked into the gallery– her display is titled “Synchronicity II”-- “ ...many miles away, there’s a shadow on the door. ” Looking at Vania’s art, I was struck by the synchronization of the perspectives, embedded with the glimpse of a daughter looking at the roaring cadence of what her pupils grab, and the image of it imprints into her retina– just for it to become a memory. Like a perfumed envelope, it haunts and it warms the heart, an overpowering sense of fleeting nostalgia grabbing you and telling you– you have lived this, and so have I.

You watched it happen and now you shall remember, remember, remember all those fleeting memories of your personhood. It is a whiplash and a soothing balm at the same time; to my eye, it combines at the core of it the delicate memorialization of Realism with the rebellious strokes and stylistic endeavours of Impressionism– saying “this is remembrance– I am remembering it in the haze of my memory and embracing the etches of it, capturing the coherence of this existence rather than the semantics of it.” “Watching the Same Drama Everyday” and “Sebastian Watching A Video” especially struck me in the manner they manage to capture what Vania termed “the mundanity of existence.”

“I am sort of searching for these mundane moments around my house… looking at my father just being himself, that’s where the inspiration strikes. I am trying to find the balance between a sketch and a painting,” she explained to me.

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Looking at Vania’s artwork reminded me of Mary Cassatt– her interplay of perspective and dimensionality, combined with sheer, raw, sentimentality was reminiscent of Cassatt’s The Child’s Bath.

Meeral Mirza’s work in textile is as if walking into the pages of the famed Firdawsi’s Shahnameh, or finding yourself in Isfahan, looking at the delicate cuerda seca tile work of the Mihrab from Madrassa Imami. It is the perfect union of teachings and visuals of Islamic Arab scholars like Abu Ma'shar– an amalgamation of culture, faith and the Golden Age (the intricate gold details wink and wave in the subtle light, layering on top of each other to create elements perhaps only the sun can shine a light to– watercolor on top of Wasli, and digitally printed onto Mesuri fabric). It is a brilliant marriage between the intricacies of decorative detailing and perspectives on textile.

“I'm Kashmiri. In Kashmir, like, astrology is a pretty big thing… there is Vedic astrology, and then the Persian and Islamic one. The visuals of the latter spoke to me… astrology is basically the father of science. Because first we had astrology, then we had alchemy, and then from that we have chemistry as we know it today. And the second thing is that stocks are also like a prediction sort of thing, right? So if we're gonna make fun of women for believing in astrology, then we can make fun of men for believing in, like, you know, the stock market.”

The medium adds an inherent sense of delicacy and airiness that permeates the pieces and draws the viewer in. But it is much more complex– Meeral’s artist statement explains: “Astrology is a controversial subject… Science and mathematical calculations surrounding this field are what distinguish it from any superstitious pseudoscience. I have created my own visual vocabulary to find the junction between Persian style astrological paintings and textile design.” Each piece is a brilliant homage to a specific astrological sign, an interplay of texture and light and fine detailing.

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In a talk with Meeral about the implications of her choice when so many women are demonized for believing in astrology, she put it best to the face of patriarchal critics: “I'm Kashmiri. In Kashmir, like, astrology is a pretty big thing… there is Vedic astrology, and then the Persian and Islamic one. The visuals of the latter spoke to me… astrology is basically the father of science. Because first we had astrology, then we had alchemy, and then from that we have chemistry as we know it today. And the second thing is that stocks are also like a prediction sort of thing, right? So if we're gonna make fun of women for believing in astrology, then we can make fun of men for believing in, like, you know, the stock market.”

Syeda Ailia Hassan’s work is a study in nostalgia, combined with a fusion of the contemporary to create furniture and products that transcend the fine lines of a relatively stiff medium to leave you awed at the sheer delicacy and wonder of her craft– she combined brass plating, beautifully melded into wood. Combining the sharp and hard contours of wood, stylized to be contemporary and experimental with the traditional elements of brass make it stand out– it is in a way reminiscent to me of Futurist elements of design combining with the traditional elements of post-Islamic metalwork, intricately combined. The past, holding onto the future and the present– a study in time.

Ailia stated that her main inspiration behind her work has always been mother– “This craft you can see on the brass, my mother used to sculpt it. She did it for 25 years.” The fine contours in the wood are topographical representations of the place where the said art was first founded. Qalam-Zani in Persian, she explained, is an amalgamation of the words “pen” and “hitting”-- the perfect word for it.

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She further explained: “I really wanted something which was small and which contained all the elements. I had water and the birds and the, and the glass.   Each part of the console and the mirror are in this.” Minimalism, she explained, is lovely, but so overdone that she wanted it to be minimal in a manner that combines the love for texture that we have as Pakistanis. She laughed, explaining how her identity as an artist translates into her work too: “So when I think about myself as a person, I'm a very extra person, very extra personality with a very minimal…what do you call it? Sugar coating? And I think my pieces show that.”

Sumaiya Hayee’s work is a study not only in the colours and intensity of the life in Old Lahore and its streets, strewn with life that is aeons apart from the sanitary life on the roads and streets of the more ‘modern’ Lahore– the Lahore that boasts its elitism and forgets the existence of Old Lahore and its people. Sumaiya explained to me that she herself is from Androon Lahore , and she wanted to pay homage to the beauty in the little moments of life there– especially to the working class there.

Rage rips you apart and then puts you back together. I am reminded of Munch and The Scream, originally aptly titled Despair– to take emotions rooted in the real and the binary and project them into a world with intense hues, colors and morphing perspectives to amplify them and give them a sense of reality that is so heightened that all your sense are attached to viewing it.

“We only go to them when we need work done– the tailors, the shopkeepers– we refuse to see them as human beings that have a life apart from perhaps… serving us,” she put aptly. Her art is rich and experiments with texture and color while also staying true to Realism– it is as if the images of life are superimposed to give one a view into what we so often ignore; the color and beauty of it that we forget in our own obsession with self and individuality in a capital driven society. 

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Fatima Ahmed’s work is a study in rage and personhood– a metamorphosis reminiscent of Kafka’s titular character Gregor Samsa. Rage rips you apart and then puts you back together. I am reminded of Munch and The Scream, originally aptly titled Despair– to take emotions rooted in the real and the binary and project them into a world with intense hues, colors and morphing perspectives to amplify them and give them a sense of reality that is so heightened that all your sense are attached to viewing it. Fatima too, manages to do it in a manner that reminds me of the German Expressionists of the early 20th century– not to show what the eye sees but to show what the mind and heart feel. Munch, when asked about his painting, said: “And I sensed a great, infinite scream pass through nature.”

When I talked to Fatima, she better explained her artistic vision: “I was in the midst of some realizations… boundaries between the inner and outer self. There was a warped sense of responsibility and keeping these separated, so the rage came out in some of the paintings. I really like stream of consciousness in literature, and wanted that in my art. This is an exploration of identity.”

Ayla Zahir Kayani’s work crosses the realms of ordinary to leave you suspended in ways that make you question your own reality and existence– ‘Forced Convergence’, ‘Serendipity in Existence’ and ‘Somatic Reflux’ are all pieces that stand out and hold the viewer captive– it reminds me of a scent that permeates the air so strongly that it overpowers. First you retch, unable to understand whether it is disgust, and then you grow accustomed to it and a sense of calm takes over. Yet the magic still permeates.

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A lot of Ayla’s work is about reflection and uses a reflective medium that also combines fragility and sensitivity. One of my personal favorites is perhaps the most jarring– a sink clogged with gunk and water, pooling at the center. You are unable to find your own reflection. You look up, searching for a mirror and all that stands is a ghost of the said mirror, shadow imprinted on the wall in red but never seen. You don’t have a way out to look at your reflection in a manner that is not distorted; but it needs time to be spent with it to understand the intricacy of it. Another one is a cage enclosing a set of white feathers at the center of the room. Purity, plucked and placed in confines. Ayla explained her use of engine oil: “And although you can't see your exact reflection, you know that there exists a reflection. And I was using engine oil exactly for that. When untouched… you can see yourself in it.”

Muneeba Zahid Khan’s artist statement best pays homage to her identity, translating it into her work. “She specializes in miniature painting and explores themes of identity and displacement through her artwork. Growing up with her first adoptive family, she often felt like a shadow caught between two worlds… she expresses these difficulties through her art, using medical reports and x-rays as her canvas.” The presence of hollow, shadowy figures permeates her work in a way that is jarring– at first glance, you are looking at expertly put together medical records, joined together, as if an exploration of pain itself. At a nearer glance, you see the culmination of whose pain it is.

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As someone that has been chronically ill, I know it best– doctors’ offices, being suspended between reality and truth, feeling as if you are a file number or a doctor’s note. Never feeling like a whole person, merely a shadow of a shadow. When you look closer at Muneeba’s work, you see the person shine through. In x-rays and MRIs, she makes artwork such as ‘Posheeda’, ‘Are You There?’ and ‘Suffering’-- a child pulled apart and grieving, a woman yin-and-yang, lying in foetal position. The medical sanitary is given a humanistic perspective. In conversation with Muneeba, she explained it best– “You always remember, no matter where you are displaced, thus the MRI. Science and art are very divorced fields but I was previously in medicine, but then I decided to go into arts. I think perhaps that was a factor too.” Her medium stands out– because she is perhaps the first person to find the middle route between the two. 

In the culmination of this artistic journey, the thesis display stands as a testament to the enduring power of art in unravelling the threads of existence. As viewers engage with these visual narratives, they are invited to transcend the confines of conventional thinking and embrace a collective dialogue that dismantles the chains of not contemplating the threads of our lives. Only through art, we can call to redefine personhood in a world yearning for unity amidst discord.

Sara Javed Rathore is an author and poet from Lahore. Her first collection of poetry, 'Meraki', won the Daud Kamal Presidential Award from the Pakistan Academy of Letters in 2020. She has also published another collection of poetry titled ‘Obituaries for the Dead and the Undead.’

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Terry Henry

Glass Artist

I have always been drawn to glass and loved glass beads. The way light shines through glass gives it a gem-like quality and it is simply beautiful. As a scientist and geologist, I understand the science behind the beauty of glass and crystals. I started my relationship with glass in 1981 when I took my first stained glass class. I made stained glass windows on the side for over 27 years, saving every scrap of glass because someday I was going to make beads out of it! I had no understanding of COE (coefficient of expansion) or glass compatibility. I took my first glass bead class at Scarab Glassworks (Fresno, Ca) and giggled through the entire class. I was overjoyed to finally be making glass beads. After my initial class I was hooked and spent hours working on a hot head torch. After about 2 years I upgraded to a mini cc torch and my work improved dramatically. Today I work on a Carlisle Hellcat, which has the inner fire of the mini cc, which I still have in addition to a few other torches. I continue to take classes today not only to learn but also to recharge my creativity.

My father had moved our family  to the San Francisco Bay Area when he got a job as a “rocket scientist” with Lockheed Missiles and Spacecraft and he was an integral part of the Hubble Space Telescope. He was a wonderful man, and his passion as a scientist as well as an accomplished driftwood artist infused me with both my science and art interests. After focusing on art in high school, I attended San Jose State University as an art student, eventually turning my focus to geology and the study of minerals. I was intrigued with minerals and the rainbow colors (birefringence) they exhibited under the microscope. I was frustrated by my inability to get into art classes so I started taking Geology classes. One day I was viewing a student art thesis display at the school and decided I was a better scientist than artist and changed my major to geology. 

“I have always been drawn to glass… “

 I believe working on the edge had been the biggest factor in my ability to grow as an artist. It’s my plan to take every opportunity that comes my way.

While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I met my husband Tom and we moved to Humboldt County to obtain my Bachelors in Geology at Humboldt State University. I went back to the Bay Area and obtained a Masters in Geology. From there I began my scientific career as a geologist with the USGS and then a hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service. We eventually landed in the small town of Porterville in the central valley of California where I worked and retired in 2012 as a hydrologist on the Sequoia National Forest in Porterville, CA. We then moved to “paradise”…our beautiful home and studio in Atascadero.

A​​n event that dramatically changed my life in 2008 was a diagnosis of breast cancer and the resulting surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. This experience continues to have a positive influence on my creativity, diversity of design, and willingness to take risks. I am sharing this to emphasize the importance of overcoming obstacles life throws at you and living life to the fullest. Since I was treated for breast cancer I have been inspired to enter competitions, author articles for magazines, teach classes, speak, and travel. I have travelled to Italy twice to take flameworking classes and appreciate the beauty and history of Italy. I have traveled to New Zealand, taught at Fenton Glass Factory in West Virginia, and have exhibited and taught in Tucson, Arizona for the last 9 years. For the past 6 years I have traveled to Canada to participate and instruct at the Molten Experience. I believe working on the edge had been the biggest factor in my ability to grow as an artist. It’s my plan to take every opportunity that comes my way. It is important to live for today.

SABS ART UNIVERSITY HOLDS 18TH DEGREE SHOW (ANNUAL THESISDISPLAY/EXHIBITION).

Jamshoro : Shaheed Allah Buksh Soomro (SABS) University of Art, Design and Heritages Jamshoro organized 18th Degree Show (Annual Thesis Display/Exhibition) in its premises. The Degree Show was inaugurated by Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Sindh Dr. S. M. Tarique Rafi. He was accompanied by Secretary HEC Sindh Moinuddin Siddiqui, Vice-chancellor SABS Prof. Dr. Arabella Bhutto, Vice-chancellor SUFI University Bhitshah Prof. Dr. Parveen Munshi and others. The exhibition included display of paintings, sculptures, fabric designs, ceramics pottery, building models, advertisement concepts and much more.

Talking to media persons Chairman HEC Sindh Dr. S. M. Tariq Rafi said that exhibition reflected creativity of students which will help them to become entrepreneur in future. He said that the art work of students is not only beneficial for students but it is important for soft image of the nation and country.

Replying to a question he said that the fees structure of universities throughout Sindh province is lesser than all other provinces but yet Sindh provides 23 billion rupees to universities as compared to Punjab’s 5 billion rupees. Dr. Tariq Rafi further said that Sindh HEC adapts the criteria of appointments set by HEC Islamabad and its unanimous in all higher educational institutes. Sindh HEC Chairman added that except faculty members all other appointments are made on the basis of set rules and regulations and HEC has its nominees in various statuary bodies of the universities for transparency. Vice-chancellor SABS University Prof. Dr. Arabella Bhutto said that SABS University is trying to promote peace, prosperity and positivity in the society and the art work of students reflected such themes.

She said that the beauty of this university is its close association with creativity through art, design and architecture whereas, creativity and innovation goes hand in hand. Dr. Bhutto further said that importance of art alongwith science in our society for both creativity and innovation is fact and science without art is bleak , art without science is terrifying.

Earlier the HEC Chairman Dr. S. M. Tariq Rafi laid foundation stone of foreign faculty hostel at SABS University Jamshoro. During the degree show Fine Arts students displayed paintings and sculptures on the topics such as: guts over fear, puzzling out marriage, impressions, a child’s journey of struggle and learning, beyond the surface, the language of dots and colors, challenging stone’s nature: exploring the fragility of belief, healing harmony of comfort, revitalization. Communication Design students presented their ideas on the topics such as: bolkashi, farda: an Urdu type space, beyond the familiar, happiness effect, embrace, bachon kuch naya, quaid-e-rawan, ishtihar nama, tailored-craft intelligence, stories we share, miscommunication, mahreew-syl-jah, AI2F- all indie film fest, shahi bazar unveiled. Textile Design students displayed the fabric designs on topics of the endless loop of hope, hues of fascination, resilience, big bang, sustain print impression, lost glory of Tando Allahyar, Makli necropolis, a state of being calm and relax, unraveling fear of colors and words, dream weave, generation gap, serenscapes, a fusion of beauty, harmony and faith, lafzon ki qaid, nostalgia, autonomous, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, impression of appreciation, tragedy of Hirabad, magic, monopoly of life, Sachal Sarmast. Architecture and Planning Department students gave unique ideas on pathway to well- being, enhancing lives through wellness Architecture, reviving urban wastelands: flyovers as catalysts for change in Karachi, exploring the relationship between music and Architecture at Lahore, urban revitalization, energy efficient buildings through bioclimatic architecture at Hyderabad, floating resort at Ormara, socio-critical and problem-oriented approach in environmental issues for students school Shahdadpur, experimental museum at Karachi, shades of green literacy: eco-conscious library at Tando Allahyar, space museum at Bahria Town Karachi, sports complex at Gujranwala, mixed use building in Gwadar, expo center at Faisalabad, branding of Gwadar through symbolic Architecture, shopping mall at Nawabshah, conservation of Mir Hassan Ali Talpur palace at Hyderabad, flood affected houses at Shikarpur, art center at Lahore and others.

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Your right to know Friday, August 30, 2024

NCA thesis display can either motivate you or inspire you to think out of the box

January 21, 2019

For umpteen years, the National College of Arts (NCA) has been recording history through various art forms and opens the degree show for public on its Final Thesis Display.

Each year the heterogeneity of students’ artwork and concept mushrooms more than the previous one as it offers its viewer a landscape that is balanced by both minimalistic and grand narratives. Each year, students’ work offer a culture of integration and diversity as NCA is home to students with myriad socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic identities, ideological positions and cultural ideologies.

Keeping its tradition alive, this year NCA thesis display has been like a galaxy of artworks. Each hall, gallery, studio and even corridor is adorned with student’s thesis project and leaves the onlooker awe-struck for each work encompasses in it a mythical world that somehow remains palpable in nature. Each department displays the artworks that are distinctive in nature and tell a story on various levels.

The Textile Design Thesis display serves to be interdisciplinary in nature and offers an amalgamation of contemporary as well as traditional designs which altogether are translated with various techniques of weaving, knitting, fabric manipulation and surface embellishment

Textile Design Thesis display serves to be interdisciplinary in nature and offers an amalgamation of contemporary as well as traditional designs which altogether are translated with various techniques of weaving, knitting, fabric manipulation and surface embellishment. Through their artwork students have addressed the social as well as subjective issues and present the usual ideas in an unusual way. The work offers a perfect blend of thought through concepts, meticulous research process and refined craft techniques.

Fine Arts students’ artwork deals with reality on two levels – subjective level and objective level. Their work provide a thought provoking insight into our personal as well as common concerns, like matter of cultural identity, reflection on surrounding, changes due to new mode of communication, physical imperfections, personal family histories, man and machine relationship etc. In addition, students have given a new dimension and direction to miniature style of painting by using the techniques if Gouache, Nimrang and Sayah Qalam on wasli.

Visual Communication Department displays the projects that are based on interaction design, animation, installation and space design. These projects address the social issues like misunderstood concept of feminism, discrimination against single mothers and their children, acceptance and awareness for schizophrenia, psychological disorders, claustrophobia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Product Design Department displays products that are functional, aesthetic, usable and sustainable in nature, such products that can significantly impact the society. Like, interactive urban furniture, merchandising vehicle for disable, stress relieve capsule, relaxation unit, mobile vocational school for less privileged, versatile camping tent, kaarol shade and green cells.

The Architecture Department revives our traditional spaces by providing the architectural structure for centre for traditional arts, cinematic rejuvenation of Lakshmi Chowk, revival of Lahore Planetarium, community centre to conserve the true essence of Kalash culture and textile hub for local craftsmen. Moreover, spacious spaces has been designed to help the helpless, sports under one roof, art residency, educational institute, martial arts in architecture, a resort, Tertiary Care Hospital and Mixed Used Building: live work and play.

The Musicology Department provides a flashback to veteran singers like Ustad Salim Hussain and Noor Jahan.

Film & TV showcased their documentaries in auditorium that were based on social concerns, like Dour Katchi, Umeed, My Dying Valley, Unaware and Frodo.

With such diversity, NCA thesis display is a must-watch-sight which can either motivate or inspire you to think out of the box! Meanwhile we as a public should keep in mind the ethics to be followed while visiting such places where one slight touch can damage the whole installation. There are some artworks that tempt us to have their hand feel however we should be careful with our moves & gestures and just let the eyes do the magic!

The writer can be reached at [email protected]

Published in Daily Times, January 21 st 2019 .

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Lyco students display art thesis projects.

The final thesis work of 12 graduating Lycoming College seniors will be on display at the Lycoming College Art Gallery from April 8 to May 14, beginning with a gallery talk at 5:30 p.m., on opening night according to a press release.The gallery is open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 4 to 8 p.m., and the exhibits are free and open to the public.

The Lycoming College Senior Show is the culmination of thesis projects for all seniors with a major in studio art, and all studio art majors are required to produce a cohesive body of professional work to exhibit. The 2022 Senior Art Show features works and artist statements from the following graduating seniors:

• Medhavi Bhunjun (Mauritius) – art: painting and psychology majors

• Kiersten Block (Palmyra, Pa.) – art: generalist major with teaching certification

• Thu Ha (Vietnam) – art: graphic design major, photography minor

• Ethan Ilchert (Norwalk, Conn.) – art: graphic design and art: 3D animation majors

• Charise Johnson (Washington, D.C.) – art: painting and art: photography/digital majors

• Bronwen Lewis (Cresaptown, Md.) – art: graphic design and art: photography majors, art history minor

• Dominick Massaro (Centereach, N.Y.) – art: graphic design major

• Megan Oyler (Bedford, Pa.) – art: generalist major with teaching certification

• Kaitlin Parks (Williamsport) – art: photography/digital major, 2D animation minor

• Kacee Reitz (Milton, Pa.) – art: generalist major with teaching certification

• Valeria Rivera (El Salvador) – art: graphic design and business administration majors, art history minor

• Kaylee Wade (Muncy) – art history and art: painting majors

The Lycoming College Art Gallery, located in downtown Williamsport at 25 W. Fourth St., contributes to the city’s arts culture and provides a way for the College to become more involved with the community surrounding it according to a press release. Lycoming art students have the opportunity to interact with visiting artists, as well as learn first-hand the inner workings of a gallery.

Lycoming College’s art program offers all the benefits of a standalone art school while also providing a traditional liberal arts education, giving students exciting, inspiring opportunities and opening their minds to broader possibilities. The art department is recognized for its innovative program, cutting-edge digital design, and exceptional faculty of teachers and practicing professional artists.

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Simple Techniques for Great Art Displays

by Christine O’Donnell and Peter Dunn

Two experts share their best advice for creating displays that present art with impact.

Figure 1: Anchors Photo credit: Christine O’Donnell

Most artists focus their energies, rightly, on creating great work in their studios. But it’s also important to think about how to display one’s work in an eye-catching manner, whether at an exhibition or collector’s home. Working from combined years of experience in the worlds of galleries and art display, we hope to offer advice that will help you effectively convey your artistic message to a wider audience or ensure enjoyable artistic vignettes for home placements.

Because works on display are always seen in a larger context, it’s wise to start by thinking about the room. What does someone see when they first walk in a room? How will they walk around the space and to what will their eye be drawn? What story are you trying to tell with your artwork and any accompanying pieces?

Use of Anchors

As in any storytelling situation, start with a bold first statement. Choose a prominent “anchor piece” for the display as a whole: something that can serve as the star of the show and set a tone. This item should command attention from people entering the space, and send a clear and inviting signal, drawing the viewer in. Fig. 1 provides two examples from Beacon Gallery in Boston. The Betty Canick work at right greets people entering the gallery, while the orange mixed-media piece by Adrienne Shishko at left draws visitors into the main space.

Once initial reference points are in place, you can think about the supporting players. These are pieces that can be placed near the “star” and carry the story forward. You can think in terms of continuity or contrast. Note the interplay between the Shishko piece in Fig. 1 and the “softer” Canick images to its right. Each situation is different, but your visual intelligence and instincts will help you find combinations that inspire you and work together towards your larger statement.

Figure 2: Supporting  Photo credit: Christine O’Donnell

Supporting Works

The arrangement of the artwork around the anchor piece will depend on the size and shape of available wall space, the relationship between the pieces, and the overall feel you’re seeking to create. You might find a salon-style approach effective, with the supporting pieces above and below the central work. Or, a linear arrangement where the story unspools in a row, as shown in Fig. 2 where the related images by Malcolm Montague Davis offer an intriguing sequence of perspectives.

Again, every wall is different, and every combination of artwork requires its own unique arrangement. Take your time and experiment to find the best combinations. Test your ideas by stepping away from the display area for a few minutes and then walk back into the room with “new eyes”. Try to see the space as you would when you would first arrive.

If you’re fortunate enough to have multiple walls for your display, you can apply the same principle to each one. Choose one or perhaps two anchor pieces per wall plus supporting works. Try to be sure, though, that however you choose to arrange the art, you maintain a clear center for the display as a whole.

Figure 3: Overload  Photo credit: Flickr user Sheba_Also, used under Creative Commons

Avoid Overload

As an artist or art collector it’s tempting to display as many pieces as possible. However, in order for one’s collection to be truly appreciated, it’s important to be a tough editor and not display too many works. Many displays (like the one in Fig. 3) inadvertently overwhelm the viewer and cause disengagement due to sensory overload. Help clients and visitors see and appreciate each work on its own. If you’re successful, they’ll develop an appetite to see more!

Figure 4: Negative Space Photo Credit: Christine O’Donnell

Negative Space

A related tactic is to pay attention to the negative space between works on display. Allowing enough breathing room will help viewers focus and not be distracted. Typically, about 8 to 14 inches is a good amount of separation for gallery shows. Again, it’s very situation-specific, and you’ll want to take your time and experiment. Sometimes intimate clusters will work well. Sometimes a particular piece will simply need more space of its own. The paintings in Fig. 4 are nicely arranged, with each having room to itself but also connection with its neighbors. (Also note how the supporting works by Myra Abelson complement the central anchor piece from Shishko.)

One final thought: because experimentation and testing of ideas is so central to the process of creating a good display, an art hanging system can be an extremely useful tool for making good decisions. Wall-mounted track systems use adjustable hangers and hooks to facilitate quick rearrangement, so you can assess different combinations and heights. It’s easy to adapt to differently sized or shaped pieces, and you don’t feel as locked into a configuration as you might after driving nails into a wall. It also cuts down on wall repairs and accelerates the process of taking down one arrangement of pieces and putting up the next one.

This flexibility in changing displays may allow your collection to be rotated more frequently and easily. Remember that even art in the home doesn’t have to remain in the same space all the time: try to change at least 1-2 pieces every 6 months to give a room a fresh look.

We wish you every success in creating strong displays, and hope you’ll share thoughts and questions in the comment section!

About the Authors:

Christine O’Donnell  is the Owner and Gallery Manager of Boston’s Beacon Gallery, which she opened after living and working in Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Representing artists from the US, Europe and Asia, Beacon Gallery connects emerging and mid-career artists with new and established collectors and institutions worldwide, with an eye towards activism and social justice. Christine has a master’s degree from Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree from College of the Holy Cross.

Peter Dunn is Director of Marketing for Gallery System Art Displays , which supplies art hanging systems to thousands of galleries and other exhibition venues. He is the son and husband of visual artists, which has provided him with hands-on display experience both in residential and professional settings.

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YES PLEASE!

Wow! This article was incredibly helpful. I so value this expert guidance on how to best display my art collection. Thank you 😊

I really appreciate the clarity of this guidance, I had no idea about how to make the most of the art we have !

A very engaging and informative piece! I particularly enjoyed the idea of periodically rotating various works but as you touch upon, the thought of constantly moving nails and doing touchups is more than I can bear. The wall-mounted track systems seem like an excellent solution, I just wonder if that’s “over-the-top” for my humble, but elegant, residential display? Any advice would be appreciated!

It’s a little bit of a long shot, but would your home display space happen to have picture rail moldings in place, or would they be a suitable addition? If so, you can get the functionality of a hanging system with a more-traditional look by getting hooks that hang on the molding and have cables or rods on which you can hang your pictures.

This article on Houzz has some photos of this approach being implemented in a Queen Anne Victorian home in California – scroll down to see them: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/my-houzz-remodeling-dreams-come-true-in-a-queen-anne-victorian-stsetivw-vs~74419688

Thanks so much for the kind comments! Working with Christine O’Donnell on this piece was a pleasure, and very informative – she has a great eye.

You can get some firsthand perspectives from her in this video:

https://youtu.be/zSBWhbuGnyA

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A Thesis Turned Art Display

At first glance, the reimagined 1924 carousel installed in the Studio Arts Building last winter may have looked like an ordinary merry-go-round. But it was actually  Vimoksha —part of the senior thesis exhibition titled  The Passing Show  by Kathryn Fanelli ’20MFA, who describes it as an “interactive, kinetic sculpture.”

“This is the culmination of a three-year focus that considers bigger questions in our universe of time, illusion, impermanence, and perception,” says Fanelli. Visible to passersby, the carousel lit up from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day. “It’s a beacon of light in dark times,” she says, “which I think we all need.”

Read the full story in the Magazine of the University of Massachusetts Amherst .

Contemporary art across the evolving global peripheries

• ARTMargins Online: Exhibition Reviews

Thinking Pictures: Conceptual Art from Moscow and the Baltics

by Mária Janušová · Published 02/03/2023

Although fewer than two decades have passed since its opening, the Kumu Art Museum, located in Estonia’s capital city Tallinn, is widely acknowledged for its critical exhibitions that often highlight the nation’s traumatic past. Earlier this year, the museum showed Thinking Pictures: Conceptual Art from Moscow and the Baltics, curated by Anu Allas (professor at the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture of the Estonian Academy of Arts), Liisa Kaljula (curator at the Kumu Art Museum), and Jane A. Sharp (curator at the Zimmerli Art Museum and professor in the Department of Art History at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA). The exhibition focused on the dialogue between conceptual art from Moscow and the Baltic countries in the 1970s and 1980s—when Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were still part of the Soviet Union—and on how this dialogue might affect the way we think about the phenomenon known as “Moscow Conceptualism,” a now globally recognized tendency whose best-known representatives include Ilya Kabakov, Viktor Pivovarov, Vitaly Komar & Alexander Melamid, Erik Bulatov, and Andrei Monastyrski.( The Kumu exhibition was a development of an earlier show curated by Jane A. Sharp, entitled Thinking Pictures: Moscow Conceptual Art from the Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection that was shown in 2016 at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers State University. See: https://zimmerli.emuseum.com/exhibitions/32/thinking-pictures-moscow-conceptual-art-from-the-norton-and )

The opening of Thinking Pictures was scheduled for early March 2022, just a few days after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These horrifying political events put the show’s curators in a difficult position: should they open the exhibition as planned, or cancel it in solidarity with Ukraine? They finally decided to open the show, but without any artwork visible. The works were then gradually installed over the following few weeks until all of the works were visible in the exhibition space. To see the (almost) empty exhibition was an intense and ultimately rewarding experience, and the curators’ decision was an impressive act of critical curatorship that is cognizant of the way in which art is impacted by events beyond its control.

Thinking Pictures: Conceptual Art from Moscow and the Baltics, exhibition view. Photo by Paco Ulman, courtesy of Kumu Art Museum.

The curatorial concept is explained in more detail in the exhibition catalog.( Thinking Pictures. Conceptual Art from Moscow and the Baltics . Eds. Anu Allas, Liisa Kaljula, Jane A. Sharp. Tallinn: Kumu Art Museum, 2022. ) As stated in the introduction, the project ambitiously aimed to “broaden the understanding of conceptual art created in the late Soviet environment, to break through the narrow confines of national art history narratives, and to disrupt the hierarchy between the center and the periphery (…).”( Allas, “Introduction,” Ibid, 8. ) The curators used the exhibition as a tool for writing a history of conceptual art of the Baltic region. Relying on Piotr Piotrowski’s concept of horizontal art history, they considered the phenomenon of Moscow Conceptualism as hegemonic and hierarchical within the discourse of East European conceptual art—due to the global acknowledgment of the term, as well as its inherent unifying art historical narrative, written from the center of the former Eastern Bloc, Moscow. Therefore, they decided to use diverse narratives, told from their position located in the Baltics, on the edge of the former Soviet Union.

The exhibition was well-grounded in Piotrowski’s ideas on how to write East European art history, adopting his approach that included transnationality, critical revision, hybridization, pluralization, heterogeneity, discursivity, and deconstruction of the center.( Anu Allas was a co-editor of the publication Globalizing East European Art Histories , which emerged from a conference in Lublin, Poland, convened by Piotr Piotrowski in 2014. See Globalizing East European Art Histories: Past and Present. eds. Beata Hock, Anu Allas. New York/London: Routledge, 2018. ) Based on the artistic material from Soviet Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the exhibition manifested the writing of art history which is “polyphonic, multi-dimensional, devoid of geographic hierarchies.”( Piotr Piotrowski, “1989: The Spatial Turn,” in Piotr Piotrwowski, Art and Democracy in Post-Communist Europe . (London: Reaktion Books, 2012), 39. ) This diversified nature was emphasized by the selection of various artists from different environments or contexts, using variable artistic media and approaches.

Thinking Pictures consisted of twelve thematic groups designed to express the heterogenous, plural, or fluid character of conceptual art in late-Soviet Moscow and the Baltics. Each of the groups comprised works by conceptual artists from Moscow, as well as Soviet Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with all the works being displayed with equal status, and none held in any way superior to the others. Each topic was labeled and briefly explained by the wall texts. Considering the limitations of the exhibition space, there were perhaps too many topics covered by the show, which could result in the viewer’s confusion. However, this also confirmed the discursive body of the exhibition with a multi-layered, fluid think tank. Several topics intertwine with one another, and, as stated in the catalog, the show is divided into three main blocks.( Allas, “Introduction,” 11. )

The first section comprised themes including The Soviet Universe, Sots Art, City Interventions, and Travelling into the Green, all focusing on various aspects of everyday Soviet life. For instance, one can witness the motif of social isolation in two paintings from Viktor Pivovarov’s series Project for a Lonely Man (1975). These flat paintings, each combining an image with a word, recall posters in the field of graphic arts. The depiction of a small Soviet flat’s floor plan or a simple room with ordinary things that have bizarre labels attached to them is reminiscent of Soviet instruction manuals. Meanwhile, the painting My Passport (1979) by Latvian artist Bruno Vasiļevskis captured the Soviet passport in precise, photorealistic detail. This display of such a travel document given the travel restrictions for citizens of the USSR evokes the harshness of Soviet reality. Another photorealistic work, Victory’s Interior (1984-1985) by Lithuanian Romanas Vilkauskas, shows a wall covered with old, yellowed newspapers. At the center of the wall, there is a photograph of a smiling Stalin, highlighting the contradiction between the shiny, optimistic state propaganda and the actual poverty of the Soviet people.

The ironic representation of Soviet propaganda and visual culture more generally dominates the works by the Russian artistic duo Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid. Both are key figures in the conceptual tendency of Sots Art. Their work Our Goal is Communism! (1972) uses a well-known Soviet propaganda slogan that the artists signed. By appropriating officialdom’s visual language, Komar & Melamid attempt to disrupt the seriousness of Soviet iconography. Iconic Soviet symbols were also creatively used by Estonian artist Leonhard Lapin. His four silkscreens Stalinism and Abstractionism, Stalinism and Satanism, Suprematism and Socialism, and Surrealism and Socialism (1990) show how Lapin transformed these emblems into pure geometric forms in an effort to undermine the authority of the state.

The Kumu exhibition also pointed to the city and to nature as important sources of inspiration for Soviet conceptualist artists. The series of photomontages Vilnius Notebook I. (1988) by Lithuanian Mindaugas Navakas, for instance, depicts typical Soviet apartment blocks altered with various monumental designs that disrupt the monotony of the banal Soviet reality. Similarly, the Latvian artist group The Emissionists (Pollucionisti), in their photomontage series Bizarred Riga (1978), comments ironically and critically on the problems and the failures of the Soviet urban environment. Taking a different approach, other artists chose to abandon the urban environment altogether. Thus, the performance Action 33: The Russian World (1985)—a phrase that rings very differently to us today than it did back then—by Collective Actions shows group members in a wintery landscape locked in observation. Rather than offering a strong narrative, Collective Actions is interested in the process of observation itself, and in the relationship between the audience and the performers. This is also reflected in the happening Conceptual Games (1978) by Lithuanian artists Kaze Zimblytė, Gediminas Karalius, Petras Mazuras, and Vladas Vildžiunas, who created improvised site-specific installations on the outskirts of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

The show’s second part united the themes of Text and Image; Fundamental Lexicons: Circle, Square, Triangle; and Objective Art, and expressed the Soviet conceptual artists’ affinity for working with words, texts, books, poetry, geometric forms, and the ideas of the Russian avant-garde. The exhibition included examples of visual poetry, such as Raul Meel’s subtle series of drawings created on a typewriter, or Dmitri Prigov’s spiral text collages. Some works used various elements of the Soviet world as a universal visual language, reflecting the influence of French structuralism and its use of language as a model for understanding reality.

Leonhard Lapin’s Self-Portrait (1979) shows the artist’s head in profile and in red, reminding the viewer of familiar portraits of Lenin. Meanwhile, Russian artist Alexander Kosolapov, in the photographic series Gesticulations. Language of the Masses (1978-1979) imitates the strict gestures and expressions of members of the Soviet armed forces, and Russian artist Leonid Sokov’s Project to Construct Glasses for Every Soviet Citizen (1975) is a pair of carved brown wooden spectacles with lenses in the shape of a red communist star, which satirically offers a way to see a bright, happy Soviet reality.

Soviet conceptual artists often worked with geometric shapes reminiscent of the Russian avant-garde, and with Kazimir Malevich’s idea of art as a spiritual substance. The exhibition included several examples of this trend, such as Latvian Sirje Runge’s series Geometry (1976-1977) in which she uses basic geometric structures and colors to create dynamic compositions and illusory spaces. Likewise, Estonian artist Silver Vahtre, in the series Blue Skies (1983), transforms banal landscapes into energetic spiritual images through the use of elementary geometric forms. “Thinking Pictures” also included Komar and Melamid’s ironic deconstruction of avant-garde symbols in the project Circle, Square, Triangle (1975) where the artist duo presented Suprematist geometric designs as commodified home decorations.

The last section of the exhibition focused on the themes of Picture as Critique, Body and Space, Fading Images, and Existential Questions. Compared with previous sections, this one dealt with more theoretical, philosophical, or even existential problems, including the artist’s identity. In his Self-Portrait in a Vermeer Painting (1985), for example, Latvian artist Miervaldis Polis tried to join the history of Western art by painting himself into a reproduction of a famous work by Vermeer. Two black and white photographs from the series Signatures (1976) by Leonid Sokov capture a typographical sign with the artist’s surname. While the first photo depicts the artist’s signature being thrown out in the yard like a piece of trash, the second one shows that the typographical object is already being taken away by an excavator. The artist’s name is also the subject of Composition (1960s-1970s) by Lithuanian Kaze Zimblytė, who collaged newspaper scraps to spell her own name.

Unofficial neo-avant-garde artists in Eastern Europe regularly faced harassment by the state; they were frequently interrogated by secret agents, their exhibitions were closed, and their art often remained invisible to a larger audience. These circumstances were reflected in several artworks in the show, including a series of photographic nudes by Lithuanian artist Violeta Bubelytė (1982-1985) that captures a naked female body in a fluid space between reality and abstraction. Moscow conceptualist Irina Nakhova, for her part, explores the fragile relations between the body and its environment. Her photograph Room no. 3 (1986) shows a figure sitting in an interior where all other objects are wrapped up. A work by second-generation Moscow conceptualist Vadim Zakharov, V. A. Zakharov Conducts an Information Exchange with the Sun (1978), shows the photographic documentation of the artist’s performance in the middle of an ensemble of gray Socialist housing blocks. Using a small pocket mirror, Zakharov creates a reflection of the sun, and thereby he seems to be holding a bright beam of light in his hand. One can see this gesture as a symbolic attempt to disrupt the grayness of Soviet everyday life or the artist’s exit from the closed world of the Iron Curtain.

Basic existential questions are also raised in Viktor Pivovarov’s series Face (1975), which shows the portrait of a woman whose face we cannot fully see because it is covered by the representation of her thoughts. As the series progresses, the portrait gradually falls apart until it finally disappears completely. The blue background may be suggestive of the artist’s “blue” mood. Similarly, Lithuanian artist Kaze Zimblytė, in the paintings Moods (1985), expresses her dark feelings. The black rectangles surrounded by monochromatic areas of color recall Mark Rothko’s method of expressing emotions through color in painting. Finally, Latvian painter Bruno Vasiļevskis signals his immediate surroundings in his photorealist paintings Books (1984) and White Wall (1984) whose titles are a precise reflection of the works’ content.

Just like the exhibition, the catalog is also heterogeneous and discursive in its nature. The Estonian-English publication brings various, pluralistic perspectives on the topic of the late-Soviet conceptual art, with four articles focused on issues relating to the exhibition. The first one, “Inside the Picture: Moscow Conceptualism Revisited,” by Jane A. Sharp, provides the author’s analyses of Moscow Conceptualism and some of its key works; Liisa Kaljula’s article “Baltic Sots Art: Appropriation Art from the Western Periphery,” acquaints us with the tendency of Sots Art in the Baltic countries; Janis Taurens interprets two Latvian artistic groups: the Workshop for the Restoration of Unfelt Feelings (NSRD) and the Emissionists, as well as Latvian conceptual art through the lens of postcolonial theory; and Skaidra Trilupaitytė outlines the situation of the late Soviet era and contemporary art institutions in Lithuanian art in her text, “Lithuanian Semi-non-conformism, ‘Classical’ Rebel Art and Contemporary Art Institutional Quandaries.”

One can recognize three main aspects which make the exhibition Thinking Pictures a significant contribution to contemporary art theory and practice, and especially to the field of East European art history. Firstly, it showed the possible ways of creating art historical narratives and writing regional art history. The second point was a notion of the exhibition as a fluid, flexible and heterogeneous structure, which offers multiple voices and perspectives on the subject matter, and asks more questions than it gives straight answers. Thinking Pictures included numerous artworks and artists; however, one notable absence was the important Estonian artist Ülo Sooster, a close associate of Ilya Kabakov’s whose work provides a key link between the Russian and the Estonian unofficial art scene.

The last distinguished feature was the implementation of critical institutional and curatorial practices. Since the exhibition opened during the first weeks of the Russian war in Ukraine, the curators decided to open an empty exhibition, gradually filling it up with artworks as a sign of their disagreement with the war. All of this resonates with the notions of “critical curating,” a form of curatorial activism, with curators expanding their usual role;( Marie Fraser and Alice Jim Wai Ming, “Introduction. What is Critical Curating?,” RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne/Canadian Art Review 43/2 (2018) 5-10. ) and “post-representational curating,” which is what art historian Nora Sternfeld describes as “the conscious involvement in public debates in solidarity with existing social struggles.”( Nora Sternfeld, “Involvements – A short introduction to curating between entanglement and solidarity,” Mustekala , 14. 10. 2013. https://mustekala.info/teemanumerot/kuratointi-3-13/involvements-a-short-introduction-to-curating-between-entanglement-and-solidarity/ (accessed January 29, 2023) ) Similarly, one can recognize in the Kumu exhibition Piotr Piotrowski’s theory of the “critical museum,” which he considered the ideal form of a museum for contemporary society. It is such a museum that reacts to the ongoing changes or challenges of the present world, is aware of its social responsibility, and uses its cultural authority and space to take an active role towards the public, helping to protect human rights and democratic processes.( Katarzyna Murawska-Muthesius and Piotr Piotrowski, “Introduction,” in From Museum Critique to the Critical Museum . eds. Katarzyna Murawska-Muthesius and Piotr Piotrowski. (Vermont: Ashgate, 2015), 1. ) And this is precisely what Thinking Pictures has accomplished.

Mária Janušová

Tags: Baltics conceptual art Estonia exhibition review Lativa Lithuania Moscow Thinking Pictures

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• Socialism in Contemporary African Art: Butchering the End of Time
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• 25th Anniversary Reflections: Roundtable “Central and East European Art and Culture, 1945-Present” (ed. Susan Snodgrass), 2001 08/25/2024
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