Mu 2313.003
M-Path exhibit
Attended September 15, 2013 around 2:00 pm
Exhibit in the JCM Building at Texas State University
Visual Arts Critique
The three works I have chosen and for that matter all of the works in Gallery one seem to focus on personal identity and the emotions we all may sometimes have. Together these pieces force the viewer to reflect on their life whether it be about their current lot in life, the future of things to come, or the eventful past that has defined them thus far.
Entering the M-Path exhibit, I was immediately drawn to the back corner near the photographs of Caleb Cole, and more specifically the picture titled “Down in front” where a man sits alone at the bottom of what appear to be stairs surrounded by white. Walking closer, slowly past similar works by Caleb Cole, I finally see the white space for what it really is. Standing, starring, inching myself ever closer to the wall were that silent picture hung I wondered why Cole wanted me to see this. Finally after silently succumbing to the picture I felt this isolated man surrounded by blank bodies was me. The distort look on the man’s face made me anxious. Standing, more of a rocking from side-to –side, I grew sorry for myself and this unnamed man down in front for we are alone. I thought of people I will never see again like lost family or a beloved teacher forgotten in the folds of time and wanted to reunite with them but feeling the sting of isolation knew it was impossible. The message in this piece is a worthwhile one. It conjures old feels of lost friends, beloved family members, and other relationships yet to fill the blank white space of our lives. For all that I do not think this piece of art is canonical for the simple fact that there is nothing of merit in the image besides the emotional toll it brings upon the viewer. The work does not warrant a larger audience. While the piece did cause me to reflect on my personal relationships it did nothing to make me feel some awe inspiring beauty or invoke some life changing idea.
The next piece is Robyn O’ Neil’s “The Staging of an Infinite Climb” and my personal favorite made me feel something more than any other piece did. The picture of the little men up high, successful at the top of their journey, those other men in the pit of failure at the bottom, and most of all, the center head