BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The complexities of family and the relationship between technology and alienation are the focus of respective spring exhibits in Illinois Wesleyan’s Merwin and Wakeley Galleries in the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art and Design.
The exhibits are on display at Merwin and Wakeley Galleries through Feb. 28. A reception and artist talk for both exhibits will take place at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Merwin Gallery is showcasing “Beautiful Family Living,” an exhibition of sculpture, collage and mixed media compositions by Chicago-based artist Bobbi Meier.
“Bobbi Meier’s sculptures are at first soft, fun and colorful, inviting us in, but often leaving the viewer thinking about ‘home’ and the many layers of relationships one can have with a space and a family. Meier’s work is also being shown concurrently at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago — a must visit,” said Associate Professor of Art and Gallery Director Carmen Lozar.
Meier recalls finding inspiration from an article in a women’s magazine in the 1990s that seemingly glorified the domestic challenges of managing a household.
“I was struggling to maintain an art practice while raising three young children, working full time as a high school art teacher and juggling household management with my partner who was often traveling for his corporate design job. The title of the article was ‘Beautiful Family Living.’ This short, hilarious statement set me on a path of making domestically oriented work that continues to this day,” said Meier in an artist’s statement for the exhibit.
In her work, Meier uses repurposed needlework portraits and sculptural objects of porcelain and fabric to recreate the decor of her childhood home, reflecting the labors of her mother and grandmother. She said the exhibit emphasizes “the fraught connections within our families, the things we choose to reveal and the things we do not, our perceived flaws, the feelings we hide and the thoughts that remain unspoken."
In Wakeley Gallery, Chicago-based Swedish artist Ludvig Perés presents “Tender Gradations of Life.”
“While this exhibit offers contemplative and sometimes ironic photographs about our interactions with technology, Perés is also showing sculptures created from cut up and reassembled photographs. These 3D photo sculptures are a wonderful and playful way that makes one reconsider the object they are looking at,” said Lozar.
Through a combination of photography, sculpture, video and writing, the pieces by Perés explore the delicate balance between technology and the natural world. According to the exhibit description, his works invite viewers to question “how our sense of place and relationship with the environment are transforming in an age where the physical and virtual are increasingly intertwined.”
The Merwin and Wakeley Galleries provide exhibition schedules that support University art curricula, while remaining free and open to the public. Both galleries are open Monday through Friday from 12-4 p.m., Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m., and weekends from 1-4 p.m. Lozar said visiting the galleries and enjoying new displays serves as a “wonderful way to get out of the house this winter.”