The Northeastern Creates art gallery is featuring recent work done by full− and part−time faculty members of the university's Art and Design Department in the exhibit "Faculty Show."
With pieces by a number of artists, the exhibition is incredibly varied in its media and content. Despite a few noteworthy works though, the "Faculty Show" is generally bland. It is also frustrating that the exhibit does not provide the media used in the art on display. The exhibits in the other wings of Northeastern Creates are far more captivating and worth the trek on the Green Line.
Thomas Starr's "Exploded View" (2011) disrupts our understanding of patriotic symbols. The piece drastically alters two American flags and juxtaposes them. One flag with just white stripes sits next to a flag that has been stripped of its blue. Even though this piece distorts the familiarity viewers have with a ubiquitous national emblem, "Exploded View" is not as explosive as its title suggests. Perhaps its awkward placement in the first corner of the exhibit, cluttered around several other pieces, detracts from its provocative intent.
"Forest St. Helena Island, South Carolina" (2010), a photograph by Dana Mueller, is one of the most stunning works in the "Faculty Show." In her series, "The Devil's Den," Mueller photographed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and all over the American South. She focused on German prisoner−of−war camps and their surroundings, where over 400,000 German prisoners were put to work on local farms and in small industries during World War II. The piece at Northeastern is a gorgeous photograph of a dense forest. The vegetation is very different from that of New England, with beautiful but oddly haunting Spanish moss covering the stately live oaks that dominate the landscape.
Sophia Ainslie's mixed media piece, "Fragment K" (2011), is impressive when analyzed on its own, but is poorly displayed by the Northeastern Gallery. Ainslie used brown and black ink to create an abstract spiral design, forming a texture that looks similar to that of wood. Green, orange and blue solid abstract shapes complement the design. It is a standout work in the exhibit, but is tacked on the wall as though it is a band poster in a dorm room. It is a shame that the gallery staff did not provide "Fragment K" the professional presentation it deserves.
The Faculty Show boasts a number of still lifes, and "Yellow Vase" (2011), by Jason Polins, is one that shows exceptional technique. Polins effectively utilizes color, with the yellow vase commanding the observer's attention against a background of dull purple. However, "Yellow Vase" is pleasantly boring at best. It demonstrates excellent use of shadows and highlights, but a still life of a vase is not exactly the most groundbreaking, let alone original, idea for a painting. Polins could present his process in painting the still life to a class of beginning artists, but the piece itself does not draw much attention in a gallery.
"Hoodoo" (2011), by Edwin Andrews, is a minimalistic but striking sculpture in the exhibition. It is a metal spiral — the type of metal is unexplained by Northeastern — that is at least nine feet tall and is very effectively placed in the middle of the gallery. Andrews evokes a sense of majesty in his piece, while nonetheless maintaining subtlety. "Hoodoo" reveals astounding craftsmanship; its shape is reminiscent of DNA, as if it were a triple or quadruple helix.
Another sculpture in the exhibit is "Lifetime Piling Up" (2011), by Julia Hechtman. It is a sculpture of small, metallic silver stones that are stacked on top of one another. "Lifetime Piling Up" is a very aesthetically pleasing piece that takes a commonplace image and alters it with the use of metallic silver paint. Despite this alteration, it still looks like an optional desktop background found under "Pictures" on a Mac or PC.
The Northeastern Faculty Show has a few remarkable artworks, but its overall presentation is a disappointment. The show is cluttered and lacks cohesiveness. Most of the pieces are generally uninspiring and lackluster. Nevertheless, it is worth a visit if you are at a loss for something to do and would also want to check out other exhibits at Northeastern Creates.
