Above: A piece entitled “Blue thing to put postcards and things on a yellowish box” includes “Wood, glue, paint, paper, ephemera,” according to the artist’s statement. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review
A new exhibit opens in the VU Gallery
By Josh Hughes
From now until November 18, you can head down to the Viking Union Gallery in VU 507 to check out Dawn Cerny’s exhibit entitled “Low And Slow: Mouth A Grape.”
“Are you in or are you out? Is there judgement in a joke?” Thus reads the introduction to Cerny’s eccentric exhibition of paper-mache amoebas and silkscreen prints.
An intentionally vague title, her work is meant to evoke something about communication or the lack thereof, as well as what humans do when given little time for something. There are no obvious grapes, no mouths, and certainly no grapes being mouthed. Instead, Cerny’s work flies all over the map, including pieces that appear as distorted still lifes and mangled sculpture. The intentional lack of clarity, however, adds to the gallery instead of detracting from its power as art.
Seattle artist Cerny brought work to the VU Gallery that spans the last few years. The few pieces in the small space give a good summation of her style and focus as an artist. Using materials that often find usage as crafts, she creates work that riffs off of cheap, imaginative home decoration. A lingering idea, Cerny invites the viewer to ask many questions, including the following.
“How do you make liberation with what you have?”
“What meaning can you achieve out of such ‘novice’ materials?”
“How can you tell whether you are on the inside looking out or on the outside looking in?”
There are prevailing ideas about how one can make the most out of any given situation, but there is also an air of mystery, of intrigue, and of feeling like you’re missing out on an inside joke.
A lengthily titled multimedia piece that resembles a diorama contains subtitles like “The real real thing (two bill envelopes)” and “1997 (snake mountain),” leaving the viewer with an unclear idea of how to interpret her work. Is this literal? Is it meant to be allegorical? What’s with the title? Cerny wants you to think about all of these things, but she may not want you to come to any easy conclusions. Be sure to check out her work before it disappears next week into the inevitable abyss.
ABOVE: This work, called “Sarah,” stands alone on an otherwise blank wall. It is made of wood, acrylic paint, paper, plaster and foam. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review