'Smoke and Mirrors' exhibit brings art to life
By Susannah Elliott, Entertainment Editor
January 17, 2006 | 11 p.m.
Jeffery Byrd, a photography professor at the University of Northern Iowa, had never seen a real painting before entering college.
Now a photographer and performance artist, Byrd grew up in a blue-collar atmosphere in rural Alabama. At the opening of “Smoke and Mirrors” last Tuesday, he shared the story of his artistic journey with examples of his work throughout his lifetime. Before embarking upon performance art in 1991, his early work consisted of photographs that were modern representations of the classic pieces that first inspired him and thousands of artists before him. He said he wanted there to be a familiar historical art touch to most of his photographs.
The audience grew artistically along with Byrd as his slides and video artwork became more adventurous. Past performances included “The Bath of Venus,” where, with a painted face and a little black dress, he showed the beauty and misery of personal hygiene. Byrd also showed the audience “Heroic Actions,” a homo-erotic view of masculinity involving Spiderman. He revealed that his goal was to “use the body as a metaphoric vehicle… a stand-in for something else — thoughts, feelings and emotions.”
As those in attendance at the lecture witnessed, his work as a performance artist seemed to accomplish that goal. He is particularly fond of a form of performance art called “butoh,” an avant garde Japanese form that began in the 1960s. Performers paint their entire heads white and communicate their messages in the universal language of choreography.
“Smoke and Mirrors,” coordinated by graduate student Genevieve Waller, opened with a live performance by Chicago-based artists Nyok-Mei Wong and Anni Holm.
After seeing Jeffery Byrd’s work, gallery visitors were ready for anything. The performance was almost anti-climactic, however — Wong and Holm, surrounded by bright plastic water pitchers and wearing bright yellow rain ponchos, took turns washing each other’s hair over a plastic tub. Within the circle of the audience, a photographer took Polaroid photos and hung them from clips on the wall.
Halfway through the performance, a toddler in attendance asked loudly, “What are they doing?”
Undoubtedly, many visitors were thinking the same thing. Some remained in their spot, pondering, even after Holm and Wong had left the room. Even more audience members were confused as to what significance the performance carried, but others had strong opinions. Senior Melissa Stamolis said she thought the use of plastic took away from the sensual aspect of the two girls' washing each other’s hair.
On a campus visit with his daughter later in the week, Dave Greco also took notice of the performance. Seeing the remnants of “Hair Wash,” he said he liked that the plastic made the piece seem less organic.
Rebecca Peterson, a high school junior and prospective art major, admitted that the exhibit was a little more out of the ordinary than art exhibits she would normally attend, but what she had seen on her visit made her want to attend OU after graduation.
In addition to live performances, several works from art students from across the country are displayed. Visitors are treated to unique, beautiful photography, as well as videos and remnants of past performance pieces. Some favorites are Benjamin Bellas’ poetic speeding ticket and Mary Jo Rosaria’s “Glass Bra,” created in a digital video medium.
“Smoke and Mirrors: Photography and Performance” is a bridge between two art forms that seem at first to be only loosely related. The juxtaposition of them, however, highlights the fact that both are inherently theatrical. Jeffery Byrd said himself that his transition from picture maker to performance artist was natural, because his work had always been theatrical because his photography was already like staging events. The only difference between the two is that, in performance, he “wanted to pull you to the present moment and not into the past.”
Art enthusiasts and future enthusiasts can visit “Smoke and Mirrors” in the OU Art Gallery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Be prepared to raise your eyebrows, chuckle and do a double-take as you experience a new batch of work from unique artists.
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