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Exhibitions to open today
Work by Cvijanovic, Kaczynski to debut at reception
By KRISTIN E.M. RIEMER
Reporter Contributor
Opening receptions for "Niagara Falls," a site-specific installation by artist Adam Cvijanovic, and "Scene from 'Olympus Manger'" by Chicago-based artist Kelly Kaczynski, will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. today in the UB Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.
"Scene from ’Olympus Manger,’" an exhibit by Chicago-based artist Kelly Kaczynski, will open with a reception from 5:30-8 p.m. today in the UB Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts.
Exhibition walkthroughs with the artists and curator Sandra Firmin will begin at 5 p.m. in the first-floor gallery.
New York City-based Cvijanovic inaugurates the Lightwell Projects—an annual series of site-specific installations in the UB Art Gallery's three-story Lightwell Gallery—with a 35-foot high, floor-to-ceiling painting of Niagara Falls that produces a spectacular interface between reality space and fantasy space. As with most of Cvijanovic's room-sized paintings—reminiscent of 19th century panoramas in subject matter and scope—the sublime is integrated into spaces of aesthetic contemplation and tourism.
"Niagara Falls" will be on view through July 29.
A self-taught painter born in Cambridge, Mass., Cvijanovic paints directly on Tyvek, a lightweight Dupont material employed in the construction of new homes. This extremely durable substance allows him to move the murals and reinstall them in different locations. He combines latex house paint with acrylic to generate a thick, chalky surface that recalls the Renaissance frescoes of Piero della Francesca.
Cvijanovic has had solo shows at the UCLA Hammer Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the Brockton Art Museum.
Kaczynski's sculptures consider the use of scale, the built landscape and the body. "Scene from 'Olympus Manger'" features a life-size stage. A peek below the stage reveals common building materials that coalesce into suggestions of expansive and enclosed landscapes. Her use of construction materials draws attention to the question of public access in society. This sculptural construction zone is open to study, rather than being off-limits.
"Scene from 'Olympus Manger'" will be on view through May 13.
Kaczynski received her M.F.A. from Bard College and her B.A. from Evergreen State College in Washington. Her installation "air is air and thing is thing" was shown recently at Triple Candie in New York City. Among her public installations are projects with the Main Line Art Center in Haverford, Pa.; the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston; and the Boston National Historic Parks.
Kaczynski has held a number of teaching positions and currently is a member of the visiting faculty at Northwestern University.
The UB Art Gallery is funded by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Visual Arts Building Fund, the Seymour H. Knox Foundation Fine Arts Fund and the Fine Arts Center Endowment.
Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with extended hours on Thursday until 7 p.m.