"You Call That Art"

Emily Beveridge Review: “You Call That Art?” at Cultural Arts Center, Columbus Ohio

 

You Call That Art? is a juried exhibit that is on display at Cultural Arts Center now through November 5^th. My friend, Sara Berens was an artist featured in the show, and so I tagged along with her to the opening reception earlier this month. The premise of the show was to cast a wide net, (there was no application fee to submit work) and get a mix of artists that respond to the question asked in the title.

 

As with many group shows, the quality of the art varied widely. I find that often juried shows lack cohesion, and I am afraid that You Call That Art? falls into this category. Although Cultural Arts is a beautiful and historic space, with tall ceilings and great light, I found that the layout of the show was jammed. This only added to the hodge podge nature of the work on display. The space really could have used some floating walls, to allow the pieces some breathing room.

 

Selected works included a bull made of curly telephone cord, a house made of hair, and an encaustic painting. My two favorite pieces both featured women as warriors, and were displayed close together in the space. Diana / Sarah Palin by Sarah Hahn was a mixed media ceramics statue that portrayed Sarah Palin in the pose of Diana the Huntress. This piece made me laugh out loud, and was a formidable presence in the gallery. Behind Hahn's piece was a digital photograph by Amanda Kline titled “Portrait of Xugha”, which depicted a neon warrior woman surrounded by cardboard cutouts with tribal motifs