Dexterity (Exhibition Review)

Dexterity is the annual student art exhibition which has recently returned after a hiatus. Three of the works came from the digital media students of this semester and last. Art 345's diptychs were among my favorite but I may be a little biased. My only wish is that the audio came out of a speaker rather than headphones. The Art 245 video art reenactments were interesting and took center stage as it was the first thing seen when entering the gallery projected on an entire wall. 

Tom Drakulich, who was just in the MFA Midway exhibition showcased two of his pieces from that show, "3" and "10." He also won one of the three $100 judge's awards of the night. I really dislike this work and thought there were others more deserving. 

Jena Valenzuela's "#perfection" was by and large my favorite piece which deservedly won one of the $100 judge's awards. The concept behind it of the endless scroll on Instagram seeking beauty tips and acceptance of others while making tip videos of her own without the use of a mirror is amazing. Using the same music from the original videos is equally impressive to make the new videos come off as no different than the originals besides the obvious messing up while hashtagging as many silly things as possible to fish for compliments and hearts. The display was near perfect, just like you'd see at a cell phone retailer where customers can demo the latest phones. Two pillars with phones on them looping Jena's videos of her own side by side in perfect tandem with another iPhone playing the original. The only downside was the headphones. I can understand if it's the gallery saying headphones are necessary so as to not distract from the other students' works but in the future, I hope the audio plays out of the iPhone's speaker. 

The final piece of the exhibition worth mentioning is Edwin Johnson's "Tug with Tow." The acrylic on canvas painting of a tugboat in rough seas is remarkable. The piece looks of professional gallery quality. The colors, depth, and style are beautiful. With it's endless amount of great qualities, Edwin ruined the painting by signing his name in the middle of a wave shortly left of center, first in pencil, then highlighted over in SHARPIE. The signature goes in the corner for a reason and the sharpie signature detracts from the beauty of the waves and open air. He might as well have cut the painting up or light it on fire because it's so sloppy, out of place, and is written in the non-cursive scribbling of a 13 year old's english exam. Super disappointing and I can only hope Edwin decides to paint over his crappy signature and move it to a corner. It has potential but remains worthless as it hangs now.

Overall, the student exhibition was very impressive and getting exposed to works outside of the digital media program was a great way to see the other art disciplines. Seeing what other students create inspires me to better the work that I make.