Christina A. West, unscene (detail), 2019, mixed media installation. Courtesy of the artist. New exhibitions by artists Christina West and Quentin Morris will open Monday, Aug. 26, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The exhibitions are presented by UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. An opening reception for both shows is planned from 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. West will give a lecture on her work at 6 p.m.; the reception will follow. For more information on AEIVA, visit uab.edu/AEIVA.
“Christina West: UnScene” will be on display in AEIVA’s Odess Gallery through Saturday, Dec. 14. West, an associate professor of art at Georgia State University, creates immersive sculptural installations that utilize figurative sculptures and the alteration of space to create psychologically charged environments. These installations explore notions of what the artist refers to as “individual subjectivity in our experience of reality, and the ways our physical encounters with spaces and with representations of bodies can affect perceptions of our own bodies.”
“Quentin Morris” will be on display in AEIVA’s Gallery Two through Saturday, Oct. 12. The exhibition is part of EMERGE Fest, a two-day festival Sept. 13-14 that will host visual and performing artists in every venue available at UAB’s AEIVA and Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. Philadelphia-based artist Morris uses a variety of materials to explore issues surrounding identity, race, spirituality and cultural mythologies. What is most interesting about this work is that for nearly 50 years Morris has explored these themes through an astoundingly focused and prolific series of black monochrome paintings, says AEIVA Senior Director John Fields. Morris wants the viewer to take an intense look into his deceptively simple paintings, understanding that the color black is both beautiful and complex. This will be Morris’ first major exhibition in the South.
AEIVA is open to the public 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 12-6 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays and holidays.