By Kyren Gibson, Alliance Carnegie Arts Center
Carnegie is excited to announce its new exhibit, Archetypes and Eternal Stories, on display until June 25th in the upper Skala and Garwood Galleries. The exhibit is the work of Shaun Roberts, Associate Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Shaun’s artist statement reads as follows: “My recent work addresses issues of identity, mortality and the struggles that our generation face today with a future that feels uncertain. Executed in the Old Master painting tradition, Archetypes and Eternal Stories consists of large-scale narrative paintings that express a full range of human emotions and experiences. They address contemporary audiences and the uncertain times we now live in, times that are filled with disarray. We can all see that our way of life is on the brink of major changes. There is much fear and mistrust. The paintings explore narratives of great struggle and tragedy, full of turmoil and the nonrational. In essence, the characters in the world of the paintings struggle to find reason amidst the pure pandemonium. Engaging issues specific to our generation, such as the current pandemic, its psychological effects, and larger societal implications, these pictures draw upon universal narrative and allegorical sources, familiar from the Western tradition, but global in their humanity. Archetypes and Eternal Stories challenges viewers to confront our differences of social class, race, gender, politics or religion. It revisits the ancient idea of rise and falling civilization. Are we living in a civil society of increasing vitality and humanity, or are we on our way to a new Dark Age? The characters from the Archetypes and Eternal Stories series find themselves in unbelievable circumstances.
These works were developed from parable and myth, embodying a surreal world where dream-like, dystopian settings subvert reality. Through a mixture of fact, fiction, allegory and imagination, the tragic stories depict a broken civilization, suggestive of the challenges and cultural unrest we currently face. An underlying sense of hope emerges from their dystopian experiences. Their stories are our stories and speak to our place in the universe, our shared humanity and the struggles we all face in maintaining it.”
Don’t forget! The Winter Adventures Art Camp student show is on display in the lower level studio gallery until June 11th. Artist Bob Peltz has sorted through dozens of pieces created by each student artist and selected their best individual works to put on display for the annual Adventures in Art Student Exhibit. Student work ranges from complete 3D, paintings, mixed media, and pastel works to creative and colorful warmups. The creativity, talent and imagination on display is sure to wow any viewer.
Please remember to check out Carnegie’s website, www.carnegieartscenter.com