Explore 'Mediated Landscapes' in UK’s Bolivar Art Gallery

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 18, 2018) — Come explore the “Mediated Landscapes” of three solo artists, Sarita Zaleha, Jennifer Anderson Printz and Brooks Dierdorff, at the opening of new exhibits in University of Kentucky’s Bolivar Art Gallery noon Friday, Jan. 19. The opening festivities will begin with an artist’s talk and be followed by a reception. The three free public shows will also be open for Lexington’s Gallery Hop from 5-8 p.m. that evening.  

In concurrent solo exhibitions, these three artists explore the complicated relationships between the self and its surroundings. Through examining both the known and unknown, the real and the romanticized, the artists offer insights into how we understand the notion of landscape and the world in which we live.

Through “under/currents,” artist Sarita Zaleha explores the interaction between the Arctic as a specific place impacted by rising temperatures and human attempts to observe, control and preserve the environment. Through the exhibit, visitors are drawn to aspects of experience that are often overlooked: movement in the air, alterations in smell and the perception of time. The work endeavors to dig into certain layers of human experience of the environment through encouraging a hyperawareness of anxieties around climate change and attempts to self-soothe through encounters with the natural world. While attuning visitors to subtle sensory perceptions in their surroundings and simultaneously prompting them to think about a geographic area where some of the most dramatic of these changes are occurring, “under/currents” invites a tension between the immediacy of climate change and its accumulated effects.

This exhibition was created with support from Northern Lights.mn and the Jerome Foundation.

In “Hushed Residuum,” artist Jennifer Anderson Printz wonders about the imperceptible quality of stars in the noonday sun, what forces hold clouds up in the sky, and what arranges the sundry of the universe. This work is about the relationship of these and many other unknown things and a faith in their existence that is strong enough to try to visualize and recreate them. It is about working towards understanding in both a tangible physical way and a subtler spiritual one. Through a progressive buildup of graphite or manual printing relief blocks, Printz’ hand asserts itself over photographs she has taken of the sky over her Southwestern Virginia home.

“The process is, to me, a loving process of focused attention and deliberate mark making as well as a meditative means of creating that reflects my visceral energies into the finished work through many hours of prolonged touch. The work then contains within it an intersection of humanity and nature, as well as a vast sense of intrinsic history,” Printz explained.

Artist Brooks Dierdorff examines the complexity of landscape in his series, “The Soft Wreckage of Paradise.” He deconstructs imagery and material culture associated with the outdoors, from sunsets and leafy paradises to Styrofoam coolers and the eclectic office spaces of public park employees. Moreover, Dierdorff’s use of stock photography reinforces his interest in the ubiquitous subject matter of the often-romanticized natural environment. The works belonging to “The Soft Wreckage of Paradise” raise questions about how and why we represent nature in this age of Anthropocene.  

The Zaleha, Printz and Dierdorff exhibits will be on display Jan. 19-Feb. 10, at Bolivar Art Gallery, on the first floor of the UK School of Art and Visual Studies Building, located at 236 Bolivar St. The exhibition is available for viewing during regular gallery hours 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The UK School of Art and Visual Studies, at the UK College of Fine Arts, is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studio, art history and visual studies, art education, and digital media and design.