If you’ve stepped into the UTM Fine Arts Building recently, then you have probably seen the gallery filled with various paintings, sketches and other visual art pieces on display.
The current art exhibit titled “Voluntarily Indirect” features several examples of the artistic style “dealing with the figure,” a form that uses either contemporary or realistic depictions of human life to pose societal commentary.
“The title ‘Voluntarily Indirect’ actually has several layers to it,” said Jason Stout, associate professor of art at UTM and one of several local artists featured in the exhibit.
“The term ‘Voluntarily’ refers to Tennessee being the Volunteer State, of which all the artists are from. Many of these deal with loaded issues, of which the artists are also volunteering to personally take on,” Stout continued to explain.
Although all of the gallery entries deal with the figure to create a narrative on social and political issues, each does so in a unique way that both highlights and challenges the various layers of human perception.
For instance, an oil painting by Donna Woodley may, at first glance, appear to be a somewhat silly portrait of an African American girl playing with a pair of underwear on her head. However, the painting’s title, Ushika the Marketing Director, points to a different story. Through the title, the audience becomes aware of their own personal biases and perceptions and are indirectly introduced into the reality of social prejudices and expectations for African American women in the workplace.
Jodi Hays’s watercolor painting, Entry, has a similar level of subtlety. The blurry effect that the grayish-blue watercolor has on the silhouette of a child within a house, while seemingly just a medium choice, is actually used to reflect what security footage looks like, thus making social commentary on how untrusting and watchful people in society are nowadays.
The exhibit features numerous other examples of artists observing and depicting the world in which they live.
Some political and social commentary is more direct that others, such as Samuel Dunson’s piece, MK Ultra, in which one of his characters is featured wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, along with virtual reality goggles.
Still, it is interesting to see how each artist, though originating from various social and economic backgrounds, manages to connect with the audience in the same impactful way.
As the audience examines the artists’ volunteered perceptions, the audience volunteers to challenge theirs.
“The purpose of the exhibit is to raise awareness about how many great artists there are in Tennessee,” Stout said. “There is a ton of diversity when taking on the figure.”
The exhibit will continue to be open daily from 1-5 p.m. until Feb. 1.
