At Gallery r
100 College Avenue
Rochester, New York
solo show for Dongyi Wu
During this winter I like to go out and see art shows and look for something new, and this warms me up. I look for artwork to take me to a new place, or show me something I have never seen before. Here are a few of the hot spots:
R.I.T. operates Gallery r on College Avenue and is now presenting a solo exhibition for Dongyi Wu. Full disclosure: I serve on her Thesis committee, and I am so supportive of what she has accomplished while she has been here in Rochester.
The artist, Dongyi Wu
at her opening
The show is called "Wandering in Deep Deep Dreams" and as she says -"it is more important to raise questions than seek answers". Here the mainstream of this work is sculptural and some of her pieces are wearable art. At the top of this post is a black and white sculptural work that reminds me of the spirit of Eva Hesse and the dimensional art of Louise Bourgeois. The size is modest but the effect is rather large for the diverse range of Dongyi Wu's talents.
Gallery r presents artist Dongyi Wu "Wandering in Deep, Deep Dreams"
I was told that this interesting work which is a cascade of gloves made out of light color fabric tells a tale out of Chinese culture about the red fingerprints that stand out even in this photo. The way the fingerprints are constructed speaks about the fortunes of people going about their lives. Stories are told through their fingerprints about whether they will survive with good fortune or not.
Dongyi Wu, necklace
Dongyi Wu is also a jeweler, someone who takes her fashions seriously. She creates wearable art and I think that she has a fine future ahead as she has already won some recognition for her constructions.
Painting by Danny Allen, 1974
In another new show - this one actually has four parts - we see the art of a fellow who is no longer alive, but we see the results of this largely self taught artist, Danny Allen. Here is a different imagination at work, one which speaks more directly about gender, and about the gay community here in town. The Art and Life of Danny Allen is being presented in part at Rochester Contemporary Art Center, the surreal image above is but one example of this artist's work.
"Drifters" by Howard Koft
at Mercer Gallery, Monroe Community College
Howard Koft has been instrumental in curating shows in and around Rochester for a while, and there is a presentation on now at The Mercer Gallery on the campus of Monroe Community College. From now to February 22, 2018, you can see: "Regrouping for a Respite from the Doldrums" which includes seven working artists from our area. I enjoyed the local color of Dustan Luke whose painting "The Blue Bridge" is featured on the postcard for the show. Howard Koft's artwork in this show called "Drifters" ( above ) is an engaging digital production beautifully printed representing wave patterns in a subtle range of color.
Dustan Luke's "The Blue Bridge"
at The Mercer Gallery, Monroe Community College
While these area shows are going on you may want to see what is happening at The Memorial Art Gallery. The videos from Bill Viola being presented are called "Martyrs". They are not easy to look at. The videos show representations of torture, so if you are at all bothered by such images..take care they are cautionary, and call attention to extreme measures taken against fellow human beings. Judging from the daily news, even Bill Viola's art form hasn't changed the minds of those who would carry out acts of violence.
Rosalyn Engelman, paintings in the Lockhart Gallery
Memorial Art Gallery
Rochester, New York
To end this post on a more positive note, just down the hall from Bill Viola we have paintings and an interview with Rosalyn Engelman who has taken to heart the poetry and calligraphy of the Japanese poet Koetsu (1558-1637), and she gives new life to the poems by using them as her subject matter. The paintings are light and ethereal, maybe just the right thing for you after viewing the Bill Viola show.
