A Visit to the Exhibition, "Back to the Nest"



  Memorial of Turmoil by Mieszczanska                                           Corporeal Conundrum by Tufano

  Digital Print                                                                                    Oil On Canvas



An alumni art exhibition by Izabela Mieszczanska  and Gabrielle Tufano is being held at the Krasa Building of the Benedictine  University in Lisle, from September 12 through October 12, 2010.  I had a chance to visit the exhibition and attend the opening reception on Sunday September 12.

Izabela Mieszczanska presented a series of thirteen digital print photographs.   After WWII, the survived post traumatic Varshavians returned to a city and began to rebuild their homes from the ashes, leaving some ruins untouched to remind them of what had happened during WWII and the Warsaw Uprising, in spite of the communist government and the Stalinism smothered their attempt to memorialize.  Today, in post communism, it is difficult to find an avenue or plaza not dedicated to the heroes of WWII.  The monuments are integrated in modern architectures. The memory of turmoil always remains with Varshavians, whether they lived through it or heard about it on a stroll through the Old Town with their grandparents. The series of photographs were taken during the artist’s visit home in the years 2007-2009.

Gabrielle Tufano presented nine drawings of pen on paper, pen and acrylic on paper, and oil on paper. Tufano wishes to communicate that the subjects in her still-lives are contrived and theatrical. The dramatic light turns each pice into a performance that explores the construction of identity. As subjects, we create ourselves through the repeated putting on, removing and manipulation of the trappings that communicate selfhood to the world we live in. These effects include everything from clothing and accessories to our very own skin. We are what we present. The effort to uncover the essence of self is often endeavored by attempt to shed those effects. Dissection is perhaps the most extreme expression of this obsession, where one tries to see beyond even the skin, to the very truths of the body itself. 

The exhibitions threw me down to a melancholily philosophical state of mind. At the end, however, I very much enjoyed the wine and cheese at the reception.  Two glasses of merlot and several slices of Swiss cheese gave me a peace and easiness to my mind.  The exhibitions are good art works, relatively easy to comprehend, and worthy of visit.