Art History faculty member Bridget R. Cooks, PhD, has curated exhibition Dissolve, which can be viewed at the UCI University Art Galley at 712 Arts Plaza on campus. The following excerpt has been taken from the UCI Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute & Museum of California Art webpage where more information can be found: https://imca.uci.edu/exhibition/dissolve/
Dissolve explored how certain artists perceive what it means to change from one form to another. Through painting, photography, sculpture, installation, and video, selected artworks demonstrated how gradual and immediate changes impact viewers’ perceptions of self, one another, and the shared environment. Adopting an inclusive view of the process of dissolving, the featured artists visualized the physical dissolution of light, water, distance, and geographic borders. They also addressed the dissolution of personal relationships, identity, and social and political networks.
The exhibition included works on loan, selections from Langson IMCA’s permanent collection, and two new commissions. Multimedia environmental artist and activist Linda Gass created When we listen to the watershed (2022) to address the changing Santa Ana River Watershed that serves as a resource for Orange County residents. She collaborated with Valerie Olson, PhD, UCI professor in anthropology at UC Irvine, in the development of this new work informed by Olson’s knowledge and research. Interdisciplinary artist, writer, and performer Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle created THEY: Sanctuary [Allensworth] (2022), three photo-based paintings about Allensworth, CA, the state’s first all-African American town. Bolstered by archival research, Hinkle’s artwork considers Allensworth’s transformation from township to state park.
Below are IMCA's full issues of Monthly Muse, featuring content on Dissolve:
September 2022 https://imca.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-September-Monthly-Muse.pdf
October 2022 https://imca.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-October-Monthly-Muse.pdf
November 2022 https://imca.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-November-Monthly-Muse.pdf