Small Talk, the latest SP/N Gallery installment, invites the audience to step into an active studio where the ever-evolving process of creating and collaborating is on display.
This multimedia performance installation, which focuses on the artistic progress of 19 graduate students over a month, is part of a visual and performing arts (VPA) class led by Dr. Laura Hyunjhee Kim and SV Randall, two assistant professors at the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, & Technology at UT Dallas.
“Small Talk is an exhibition of post-studio art and an exploration of what a studio is: not just as a private room but as an active place of display to show the process of creating work,” Dr. Kim said. We encourage the public to come in during gallery hours and witness the work and collaboration between the artists.”
The class behind the project is Creativity: Visual Arts Workshop (VPAS 6391), a pilot course that emphasizes the interdisciplinary creation of artworks in visual arts, such as sculpture, performance, film, photography, video, new media, and installation. According to the UT Dallas coursebook, this special topics course includes a survey on body, material, space, and time concerning the sociopolitical, ecological, and technological sites that inform professional and artistic practices in the 21st Century.
“Laura and I figured out that many students wanted to take our art classes, but many times, they’d have to choose between one class or another due to scheduling conflicts,” Randall said. “We decided to partner up and create this class, where we teach the subjects we specialize in and encourage students to work collaboratively and freely in a public setting.”
The exhibition, curated by both professors, features works by Maulin Agrawal, Dárē Akinwole, Olaoluwa John Alake, Hadi Asgharpour, Shaghayegh Ashouri, Parul Bhatia, Fatemeh Baigmoradi, Anisha Chaudhary, Rachel Finkelstein, Célia Hay, Zahra Jafarpour, Paul Monaco, Tess Nguyen, Maureen Okwulogu, Raquel Piantino, Maryam Takalou, Tina Vahed, Brenda Vega, and Vajihe Zamaniderkani.
Members of the UT Dallas community and the general public can witness the making of various projects, from projections of documentary-style productions to woodshop and sculpture, through April 26. The experience will culminate with a closing reception in SP/N Gallery on April 26 at 6 p.m.
Located on the far northwest corner of campus in Synergy Park North building 2 (known as SPN2 or SP2), our 6,000-square-foot gallery complex consists of two conjoined exhibition spaces, two project rooms, a reception area, an office and a prep area. It serves as the home for the Comer Collection of Photography.
Address
3020 Stewart Dr., Richardson, TX 75080
SP/N Gallery Hours
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursdays and Fridays: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
###