Exhibition explores contemporary themes through century-old art form of collage

Nightingale Gallery ushers in 2012 with an exhibition of contemporary collage.

“Meaning to Glue” is curator Cory Peeke’s examination of 11 contemporary artists who use materials, images and forms which speak to collection, recollection and reinterpretation.

An opening reception is planned for Friday, Jan. 13 from 6-8 p.m. in the gallery located in Loso Hall at EOU.

“Meaning to Glue” presents a selection of works by respected Oregon collagists Ian Clark and Tsilli Pines, internationally recognized artists Andy DuCett, Fred Free, James Gallagher, John Hundt, David King, Hope Kroll and Michael Pfleghaar, as well as relative newcomers Robert McKeown and Joshua Stringer.

King, a collage artist from San Francisco, will give a slide presentation about his work on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. in Ackerman Hall, Room 210. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Collage is about recycling and reinterpretation. The exhibiting artists share an affinity for vintage material, images and elements and utilize those components formally and conceptually not only for their beauty, but to comment on and explore contemporary themes.  A common theme explored by the artists is the place of the handmade image in the digital era and the duality of the transient, disposable nature of culture versus the need to make meaning and solidify a cultural continuity.

“All of the works selected for this exhibit take the traditional, even old-fashioned, and reconfigure it to create something relevant to us today,” Peeke said. “Viewers will be treated to an engaging collection of works that, while made up of vintage materials, speak to a variety of contemporary concerns.”

Modern collage will mark its 100th anniversary in 2012. The art form is typically considered to have begun in 1912 when Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque began combining bits of found printed material into their cubist paintings. The term comes from the French word “coller,” meaning to glue, and it is this translation that gives the exhibit its name.

To commemorate and document the show the gallery has produced a full-color catalog to accompany the exhibit, a first for Nightingale. The catalog includes an essay by the curator and a selection of images, statements and brief biographies for each artist.

Catalogs will be available at the gallery for the duration of the exhibit which closes on Friday, Feb. 3. Hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information visit www.eou.edu/art/nightingale or connect with the gallery on Facebook.