The arrival of "War-Toys: Israel, West Bank and Gaza," a new exhibit at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, could not be more timely.
On Sept. 7, UNICEF released a report estimating that 28 million children have been driven from their homes because of military conflicts in the world. That has been made all too real by the tragedy of Aleppo, Syria, with the recent horrific images of its children injured and killed.
According to the Exhibits USA website (eusa.org), which is touring "War-Toys," photographer Brian McCarty worked with humanitarian organizations in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. In the presence of therapists and caregivers, children are asked what they have seen and experienced, which include rocket attacks, air strikes, explosions and gunfire. The children are invited to turn their experiences into art.
McCarty interprets the children's drawings in photographs using found toys -- including rockets and other war-theme toys -- placed in the actual locations described by the children.
"War-Toys" displays 18 of these children's drawings, a few toys and 21 of McCarty's photographs. The juxtaposition of the children's works and McCarty's superb photographs invites reflection and comparison. One cannot help but shift the gaze back and forth, back and forth.
It weighs heavily on the viewer; seeing war and violence through the eyes of a child makes this exhibit's impact chilling and deeply moving.
"Arkansas Women to Watch: Organic Matters," also at UALR, features Dawn Holder of Clarksville, Sandra Luckett of Conway, former Little Rock resident Katherine Rutter and Melissa Wilkinson of Bono. The exhibit, which emphasizes imagery and materials from the natural world, is sponsored by the Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
"War-Toys: Israel, West Bank and Gaza" and "Arkansas Women to Watch: Organic Matters," through Oct. 20, Galleries, Fine Arts Building, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, 2-5 p.m. Sunday. Info: ualr.edu/art/galleries; (501) 569-8977.
ANAIS DASSE
Anais Dasse's powerful mixed media works Kids Are Terrible People Too and The Daughter were among the highlights of this year's Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center.
The artist, a native of Bayonne, France, now living in Arkansas, has a much-anticipated solo exhibition at Boswell Mourot Fine Art. And it does not disappoint.
Dasse's works -- which can include gesso, charcoal, pencil, collage and oil on paper -- are unsettling, but compelling pieces that embrace tribal-inspired patterns and symbols, references to the South's religion and culture, American pop culture, literary allusions and more. It's a sort of Lord of the Flies, somewhat primal/fever dream vision that works because of her skillful technique and an unfolding, thoughtful narrative that links these works.
The children and young adults she depicts live as feral creatures in nature. Often they have a sort of deer-in-the-headlights gaze as Dasse uses light to illuminate this hidden culture and its activities. Her work can be seen from a number of perspectives as Dasse walks the line that borders reality, imagination, the dreamtime, the natural world and points in between. Because some hold guns, one can't help but think of this region's gun culture, the child soldiers of war and children displaced and damaged by conflict.
Among the standouts are The Wedding, a 46-by-46-inch work of two young ones holding hands; the female has a pistol, pointing toward the ground. They are surrounded by herons and stunningly illuminated by vivid white light. In The Watcher, a girl, surrounded by owls, holds a rifle. The owls, like the other creatures in these works, are unafraid. Clearly, a bonding exists. One that most in our culture have lost.
The artist, who has also been a scientific illustrator, has created an imagined world that mesmerizes as it challenges the viewer on artistic, spiritual and intellectual levels.
New works by Anais Dasse, through Oct. 1, Boswell Mourot Fine Art, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and by appointment. Info: (501) 664-0030.
J.O. BUCKLEY
Sometimes we just need visual nourishment ... peace, serenity, beauty.
J.O. Buckley's "Woodruff County Portraits & Other Paintings" at Drawl Southern Contemporary Art is a rich, warm walk through the past through the skillful oil painter's subdued palette; he creates a nostalgic glow that serves memories very well.
Supper at Coy's presents a group of people at a round table, facing the viewer. It's as though they stopped their conversation to pose for a photograph or greet a latecomer. Nostalgia infuses much of the artist's works, such as The Red Convertible, which presents a family posed in front of the family car, and Lost Lake Hamilton, which evokes an earlier time before the lake was heavily developed.
But it is the landscapes that particularly mesmerize, especially The Fishing Camp, a serene river scene that has a sense of mystery about it, and the dreamlike On the Big Piney. Also, The Red Oak (After Inness) shines, as does The View From Petit Jean. The latter is richly detailed, alive with light and color. Don't miss On the Bayou de View. At 72 by 54 inches, you're not likely to. It's a beautifully executed bayou scene of a man standing in his boat, his hand resting on a tree limb. Enjoy.
J.O. Buckley's "Woodruff County Portraits & Other Paintings," through Sept. 27, Drawl Southern Contemporary Art, 5208 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: drawlgallery.com, (501) 240-7446.
BRIEFLY ...
• A two-artists show at M2 Gallery offers an opportunity to see work by a master and one of his students: Arkansas Artist Laureate Evan Lindquist and Steve Adair.
Lindquist, retired from Arkansas State University's art faculty, has gained international renown for his exquisite etchings. This show has works from throughout his career. Adair, who works in acrylic and charcoal, is a former student of Lindquist and his wife, Sharon, who also was an art teacher. Adair's exhibit is focused on his "Dapper" series.
Evan Lindquist and Steve Adair, through Oct. 4, M2 Gallery, 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 918, Little Rock. Hours: noon-5 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: (501) 225-6257.
• V.L. Cox and Michael Church are showing new work at Gallery 26 through Oct. 29. Cox, whose "A Murder of Crows" collection is on exhibit in New York, also has published a book of her massive installation.
Church, a collage artist, showed work earlier this year at the Thea Foundation and at the Argenta Library.
Michael Church and V.L. Cox, Recent Works, through Oct. 29, Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Ave., Suite 1, Little Rock. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Info: gallery26.com, (501) 664-8996.
Email:
Style on 09/20/2016