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Art exhibition examines themes of vulnerability, privacy and surveillance
gary l. wolfe, 00110001 00110100 (detail), 2024. Oil on canvas on board, 60 x 27 x 3 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
By EMILY REYNOLDS
Published August 29, 2024
“Who Told You That You Were Naked? Surveillance and Human Vulnerability,” an interactive installation by acclaimed Western New York artist gary l. wolfe that delves into themes of vulnerability, privacy and surveillance, will be on view Sept. 19 through Feb. 23 in the UB Art Galleries’ Center for the Arts Gallery, as well as in the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University.
Opening receptions will take place on Sept. 19 — from 5-8 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Gallery and from 4:30-8 p.m. in the Castellani Art Museum.
“Who Told You That You Were Naked?” integrates traditional paintings with video technology to create an immersive experience. The installation features 80 paintings — 40 naked figures and 40 portraits — arranged to surround viewers, combined with hidden surveillance cameras, interactive digital elements and a soundscape featuring the voices of the models.
gary l. wolfe, 01000111 01010111, 2019. Oil on canvas on board, surveillance camera, 18 x 18 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
The figures are not idealized and often pose with an object or gesture that obscures and thereby protects their identities. Visitors will encounter the dual nature of surveillance culture through two distinct thematic experiences at each location: the “seductive” side at the Center for the Arts Gallery and the “sinister” side at the Castellani Art Museum.
The exhibition presents a unique opportunity for scholarly dialogue through guest lectures and conversations across media, fostering collaboration between the two institutions.
Two lectures exploring surveillance culture will take place during the show’s run.
A Buffalo native, wolfe has a rich history of artmaking in the region. He holds undergraduate degrees in Christian ministries from Houghton College and in psychology from UB, and a Master of Arts in Humanities, also from UB. His professional career has spanned 28 years in health and human services organizations in Erie County — experiences that have deeply influenced his artistic work, which focuses on the marginalized and explores themes of pain, suffering and vulnerability.