Art Review: ‘Mark of Empowerment’ lets important voices rise above life's daily noise
In these times of unprecedented information consumption, it’s easy to lose sight of our humanity.
Too often, critical discourse in our communities about how we treat each other gets swept up in whatever “hot button” topic is overwhelming our daily lives. We then lose the ability to see, think and listen clearly. It’s as if all the “informational noise” in the world takes away our ability to empathize with one another.
Art, in all its forms, can offer mental and emotional space so people can digest and think about what the artist is working to relate — perhaps simply because of the physical presence of the artwork in a space. A person who has chosen to engage with an exhibition has the opportunity to contemplate beyond what we all get to see on our myriad screens.
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The “Mark of Empowerment”exhibition has been presented as part of the 2022 Mid America Print Council Biennial Conference “Power of Print” hosted in mid-October by the Kent State University School of Art in partnership with the University of Akron, Cleveland Institute of Art, Zygote Press and The Morgan Conservatory.
Curated by Roberto Torres Mata, this exhibition “reflects on how printmaking takes action to speak out with activism. The work challenges racism, sexism, environmental injustice, social inequalities, infringement upon civil rights, and colonialism.”
The strength of the exhibition is in the beauty and skill of the artwork, along with the subjects of the artists. The Emily Davis Gallery at the University of Akron is full of expressive, colorful, deeply important and thoughtful works that can quite simply take your breath away as you walk through the galleries.
‘Burnt Water, A Prophetic History of California’
“Burnt Water, A Prophetic History of California” by Los Angeles-based artist Israel Campos is certainly one of the standout works in the exhibit.
Presented like a Mayan codex, the work is full of brightly colored illustrations that also pay homage to the Maya in the illustrative style of the artist and in how the work folds out like an accordion.
While it’s not necessarily easy to understand all that is being told in the piece, the fact that we are looking at a detailed work made to look like a Mayan codex is an active commentary in itself, because very little of the Mayan language survived as the Spanish burned the majority of their writing.
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In “Burnt Water,” Campos utilizes earth tone colors in the background of all the images, contrasting with bright colors for most of the subjects depicted in the overall story to help make the imagery stand out.
The artist's style helps to pull your eye through the length of the piece and keeps you engaged and wanting to look at it more.
‘Survivance Series 11 and 12’
“Survivance Series 11 and 12” are two haunting works by artist Monty Little. Little is Diné (Navajo) and from Tuba City, Arizona. He is also a former U.S. Marine.
In these prints, a central image has been obscured by overlaid images of water and black crosses or plus signs that are repeated throughout both works. There are cultural references here, as the cross pattern is a traditional Navajo pattern and water plays a significant role in Navajo culture.
Little’s work relates what feels like deeply personal experiences. The obstructed view of each subject gives a sense of a cloudy history or even an erased history. It’s as if the artist is trying to help us see but can’t bring things into complete focus because it is no longer possible.
‘The Way Things Are’
A series of four dynamic chine-collé etchings by Dakota Mace titled “The Way Things Are” helps bring voice to the artist's subject. Each etching features the same image of an elderly person sitting in front of a wall with text written on it. The work on the far left is as detailed as a photograph. As you move from left to right, each portrait becomes less detailed though the writing remains legible.
These works are offset by a wall that is painted orange. This may seem like a trivial addition, however, it helps pull your attention to the work and around the part of the gallery the work is exhibited in.
‘No Human is Illegal’
Some of the most powerful pieces in this exhibit are a series of prints on handmade bags by artist Carlos Barbarena.
“No Human is Illegal,” features an image of a migrant worker carrying potatoes in a 5-gallon bucket. The image has a patterned background and is surrounded in a rococo-style frame with the title of the work written on a scroll going across the bottom. The entire composition is on what looks like a shopping bag.
This is a fairly obvious commentary about capitalism, wealth and the ways in which we maintain our economy, and our politics. An illustrated image like this challenges our notion of who these workers are and helps humanize the subject.
“Mark of Empowerment” does more than give visitors a “moment” to ponder reality through what might be an unfamiliar lens. It also gives a voice to people who are too often drowned out through our more conventional means of obtaining information.
The importance of visual arts' ability to communicate and as at the curator states “challenge the status quo, preventing inequities in systems and rejecting establishments,” in exhibitions like this one cannot be overstated.
Anderson Turner is director of the Kent State University School of Art collection and galleries. Contact him at haturner3@gmail.com.
Details
Exhibit: Mark of Empowerment
Where: Emily Davis Gallery, University of Akron
When: Through Dec. 20
Hours: Monday–Friday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
More information: 330-972-6030 or uakron.edu/art/galleries
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Art exhibit challenges racism, environmental injustice, inequalities
