Visual Languages
Date/Time
Location
Arno Maris Gallery, Westfield State University (577 Western Ave, Westfield, MA 01086, Westfield MA)
***Visual Languages***
An exhibition at the Arno Maris Gallery at Westfield State University exploring visual languages employed by five visual artists working in abstraction: WANE ONE, Zac Buehner, Donnabelle Casis, Kim Carlino, and Cyrille Conan. The exhibition runs from April 4-28th, 2023. Exhibition curated by local artist, Kim Carlino.
Language is an ever evolving open sourced experiment that is changing at an unprecedented pace. Visual language in various forms has stayed steady alongside, and perhaps in this digitalized era in which we live, visual literacy is overtaking the spoken and written language as we are communicating more and more through image. One study finds, that on Instagram alone, 20 billion photos have been uploaded since 2010. Reply to a text? Send an emoji. Someone’s birthday? Send a funny gif. This image based landscape in which we currently live is nothing new for artists, but are there new aesthetic rules for visual language that are shifting its evolution as we experience visual communication on a globalized and digitalized scale? Artists have been thinking about conveying our thoughts, feelings, and concepts through pictorial elements since the earliest cave drawings. What is a visual language? It is the artist’s toolbox of color, line, pattern, motif, scale, medium, rhythm, contrast, texture, unspoken codes, symbolism and the way in which we create the work. Artists spend a lifetime creating and evolving their unique visual language. This exhibition explores 5 artists’ visual vocabularies and the ways in which they use their visual language to explore the themes behind their work. Each artist has a studio practice as well as a practice in which they make work in the public realm whether via the roots of graffiti, murals, painted sculptures or projects. Artist Reception is Thursday, April 13, 4-6pm.
Location: Westfield State University. Arno Maris Gallery. 2nd Fl. Ely Campus Center. This exhibit is free and open to the public. Tue: 11:30-2, Wed: 11:30-3, Th: 11:30-2, Fri: 11:30-2 and by appt.