Activity: RADICAL and SUBSTANCE Art Exhibits

Needing a little bit of artistic stimulation, we headed off to the James Harris Gallery in Dallas to end R month and begin S month. Founded in 1999, the gallery prides itself on exhibiting northwest, national and international emerging artists’ careers.

“RADICAL VISION” Photography Exhibit

This was an intriguing group exhibition of black-and-white photography curated by Missy Finger, director and owner of PNDB Gallery in Denton, Texas. She is hailed as an authority on the history and practice of photography and likes to focus on artists who “expand the expressive possibilities of the photographic medium”. Seven photographers were featured, whose works spanned six decades and were definitely thought-provoking and appealing.

“SURFACE” Exhibit

This exhibit featured the artwork of David Willburn. Oh my goodness. Or should we say, oh my badness. Although a negative review is not our typical thing, we just didn’t understand or appreciate Willburn’s vision. The artist explains that a “surface” is “a site where materials, histories and meanings converge.” He starts with a raw canvas and then constructs and applies unconventional materials and uses labor intensive processes to create a resurfaced foundation. He then creates his design using various fabrics, photos, paint and paper. His work definitely  challenges the conventional definitions of painting. Sounds interesting but the works we saw did not talk to us – in fact, we didn’t get much more than a whisper. But that’s the joy of art. Everyone sees, feels and interprets art differently.