For those of you who haven’t seen the Oglesby Gallery, located in the Union, you must go now! The gallery is primarily a student art gallery but allows faculty, staff and friends of the University to showcase their work as well.
The current exhibit taking place is titled, Beauty and the Biotch. It’s running from Feb. 6 to 25. It’s a student art exhibit that, according to the Union event website, “challenges the concept of female identity through imaginal and real-world experiences.” This exhibit represents a selection of from both the undergraduate and graduate students of Art at Florida State. The artists’ explanations range from the therapeutic, the confessional, the heroic, goddess imagery and then also embracing the dark grotesque. The Oglesby Events also states that, “the exhibition shows the diversity of mixed media and sculptural forms of expression.”
Here are some of my personal favorites from the exhibit:
Beauty from Bruises by Capri
This piece reflects on the abuse and oppression that women suffer and how they overcome these hardships. The piece was inspired by the artist’s own experience and from all women around the world who overcome oppression.
With Love, Plymouth by Madeline Wishart
The artist examines bodies as lands and uses this as a symbol for power dynamics in abusive relationships. The sculpture references the history of Plymouth Rock. Wishart explains that originally, Plymouth Rock wasn’t historically significant until a man claimed that his ancestor had stepped onto it when he first arrived at Plymouth colony. Through that, she depicts impositions of the crushing weight of the romanticized concept of love, which is used to justify the mistreatment of women’s bodies.
Flowers are for Picking by Megumi Naganoma
In this piece, the artist is depicting modern-day events, where the victims of rape came secondary to the rapists. A beautiful kimono is shown at a glance, while the figures bring out the horrors in the abnormality that is the violent act of rape and the rape culture that enables it.
To read more about each piece and to see other pieces, make sure to visit the exhibition before it ends! The closing reception is on Feb. 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. All admission to the exhibit is free.
Oglesby Gallery’s hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday from 12 p.m. to11 p.m.
The gallery is located on the second floor of the FSU Oglesby Union in Krentzman Lounge (directly above the food court).