The upcoming contemporary art exhibit at the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center, “Reflections: Surface and Substance” explores the dual nature of reflection as an effect and a metaphor for introspection.
“This exhibition examines the ways materials that reflect light … are used in contemporary art,” said Lucas Matheson, associate curator and exhibitions manager at the Torggler. “The exhibition inquires how might this movement of light render visible, distort, or even blind a viewer?”
The artworks use media such as painting, sculpture, photography and video. Matheson chose them because they are engaging in knowledge, identity, value and materiality. Many of the 41 artworks were created within the past five years with some being done just for this show.
“There are works here that will be rewarding to those that are hoping to dip their toes into the world of contemporary art and those that are frequent museum visitors,” Matheson said.
“In organizing a material survey like this we hope to capture some of the breadth of the wide world of art today.”
Matheson noted this show has about half as many pieces as previous shows because several are large pieces of art.
The largest is Ebony G. Patterson's “...the wailing...guides us home...and there is a bellying on the land…”. Patterson, a Jamaican artist, layered mixed media on a jacquard, woven photo tapestry with a custom vinyl wallpaper background.
Dominating the space, it features a 12-foot-tall textile sculpture set against a backdrop that spans a full 16-by-24-foot wall.
The pieces come from leading galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and even as far as Shanghai. The artists on view are based all over the world including the United States, Caribbean, Europe and China.
A personal favorite of Matheson’s is Shimizu's “Video Club” which came to the Torggler courtesy of Electronic Arts Intermix.
The picture slideshow has images from the artist's experiences working as a club photographer in New York. The light from the camera's flash is reflected off sweat-covered foreheads, shiny skin, wide pupils and metallic accessories.
As the video progresses, the reflections transition from the ocular to the interpersonal, as the club goers engage with the camera and reflect an energy back to the photographer that marks him as an unwelcome outsider, Matheson said.
“Reflections: Surface and Substance” is on display at the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center in Newport News until February 23, 2025. Admission to the Center is free. Hours and more information can be found on the Torggler’s website.
