Behind the art: Unusual mural spotlights perspectives on reality
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Mar. 19—What's upside down is actually right side up in a curious multi-paneled mural on display at The Fred Rogers Center in Unity.
Artist Roman Verostko's pen and ink drawings from the early 1970s were repurposed on 11 panels that line the wall next to a staircase at the Saint Vincent College building. The drawings were meant to appeal to children and the childlike spirit in adults. Their presence a transitional part of the building symbolizes the move through childhood and growing into an adult, said Andrew Julo, director and curator of the Verostko Center for the Arts at the college.
"They're supposed to be whimsical," he said. "It's really centered around the idea of play."
Verostko has a special connection to the campus, other than the multiple pieces of artwork and arts center named after him. A Tarrs native, he spent 18 years at St. Vincent, first as a monk and priest, and later faculty member, before leaving the monastery in 1968. He has since become a world-renowned pioneer in what he calls algorithmic art, or code-generated imagery, that uses computer codes and machinery to create the works.
He lives in Minnesota and taught at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His work has been featured in galleries around the world.
The upside-down mural was placed in 2008. A book for sale through the college's store features 65 drawings similar to those on the mural.
The imagination behind each drawing is evident — one way, something might resemble a bird with feet and, with a tilt of the head, maybe those feet are antenna on an odd-looking creature.
"There is no one way they can be," Julo said of the mural panels. "The thinking here is the drawing isn't intended to make rational sense, in the way we think about rationality."
Editor's note: Behind the Art is a recurring series highlighting artistic works throughout the county.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
