If you haven’t been to a contemporary gallery opening lately, you just might be surprised at what today’s visual artists have to say.
And the big opening for the latest exhibit at New Museum Los Gatos, Saturday, showed that creative voices are keeping the faith when it comes to exposing lies and standing behind their beliefs.
“Boundaries,” a program of SVCreates, is the fourth annual experimental exhibition of genARTS—and the first to be installed at NUMU.
GenARTS has been canvassing for innovative, thought-provoking works across Santa Clara County. The jury based their selections on creativity and originality of concept, connection to theme, and technical proficiency.
Artists were to show off “boundaries” in their work—of all types. The influence of Silicon Valley on what was turned in was undeniable. Out of more than 180 submissions, 74 were selected for this show. Reservations for the event were requested, as a buffett was planned.
Approaching the courtyard of the Civic Center, I noticed a line to get in had formed. Art lovers, artists and their loved ones were in attendance. The gathering included families with young children and folks with walking canes.
The “XX Madonna Whore Gore” by Gina Bae—oil on canvas—was striking. Bae explains in her placard the piece was created in the midst of Roe v. Wade discourse.
“This piece focuses on the politics of the female body with its reclamation of the historically prevalent female nude and depiction of the Madonna-whore dichotomy,” she wrote. “These extremely polarized perceptions of women highlight the double standards of sexual autonomy and the close association of women’s bodies and their ‘worth.’”
It was a meditation on how women are much more than simply vessels for bearing children. “I want my art to contribute to discussions around the intersections between gender and race, history and modernity,” the artist statement added. This piece certainly moved me into thinking about how women are viewed in the current political climate.
The other moving piece was “We Were Only Kids,” by Badri Valian. The combination painting-sculpture draws upon the artist’s childhood in Iran during the tumultuous years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The pink color honors hues banned for girls by the Islamist government.
This was a unique and wonderful show with so much to offer.
Boundaries: the 4th Annual Experimental Exhibition is at NUMU from July 19-Oct. 6. Admission’s free the first Sunday of the month (Los Gatos residents and children under 18 can always enter for free). The museum’s open Thursday-Sundays 10am-4pm.
