eye in the sky

"eye in the sky"

         The eye that gazes at the Ackland Art Museum's contemporary art collection is completely unaware of its surroundings inside the gallery.
         The watching eye, otherwise known as "Eye in the Sky" by Tony Oursler, is one of 35 works displayed in the Ackland's current contemporary art exhibit, "eye in the sky." The exhibition opened Sunday and will run through September 15.
         Carolyn Allmendinger, a University educator, said, "(The exhibit) of contemporary art tends to embrace a diverse number and types of media, some conventional and (some) innovative," at a private tour of the exhibition on Thursday morning.
         Allmendinger said that the exhibition gave the museum the opportunity to take works out of storage that are not normally seen. She said that Barbara Matilsky, curator of exhibitions at the Ackland, and Alisa Petti, assistant curator of exhibitions, felt that this was a wonderful opportunity to expose audiences to the art. Many of the works were done on paper and are therefore light sensitive. The time that they can spend in the light is regulated and restricted.
The three galleries exhibiting the contemporary art display "a number of very interesting works of art and diverse of art," said Allmendinger. The art dates from the 1950s to the 21st century. It includes a wide variety of media including drawings, sculptures, photographs, and videos.
         The exhibition is organized by themes in the art so that the museum could "provide for a number if different ways for people to look at the art," said Allmendinger. Some of the works represent human figures and the notion of identity while others are more socially or politically themed.
         "Domestic (Bell and Beebe)" by Julie Moos is one of the socially themed works. It is a large, double-portrait color photograph that is part of a collection of photographs meant to force audiences to question assumptions that humans make about appearances.
         The portrait in the Ackland shows two seemingly unrelated women. It is one of many that Moos made of housewives and their domestic help in Alabama. The photograph suggests isolation and unfamiliarity between the two women, according to the information plaque.
         "(This photograph by Moos is) deliberately deceiving, for in most cases the housekeepers have lived and worked with the homeowners' families for several decades," according to the plaque.
         "Untitled # 9", one in a series of images, "Cambodia: Splendor and Darkness," by Vietnamese artist, Dinh Q Le, is one of the works that involves a political theme.
         "Inspired by the grass mats woven by his aunt, Dinh Q. Lê innovatively weaves together photographs and transforms them into a more sculptural medium," according to the museum Web site.
Small black and white portraits were woven into a large photograph of a Hindu temple, Angkor Wat. The small portraits are photographs of political prisoners of Khmer Rouge Regime that were taken shortly before the prisoners were executed.
         Allmendinger said that this work represents a period that the Cambodians can be proud of and a period that they are ashamed. These contrasting ideas are further reinforced by the title, she said.
Not every work in the exhibit is as heavy as "Untitled #9." Lighter works such as "Liz," a portrait of Elizabeth Taylor by Andy Warhol are on display in the gallery.
         On September 14 at 11:15 a.m., Matilsky will give an informal gallery talk related to the exhibit.
The Ackland Art Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available at the museum's Web site, www.ackland.org.