Another Installment of the Renwick Invitational

Where: Renwick Gallery

When: closing May 5, 2019

I was delighted to see that the Renwick Invitational had returned - I only wish it were an annual event.  It's great to see what new artists are doing - how they are pushing the boundaries between art and craft.  As always, we have four artists, and I've included a photograph of each one, so this will be a bit more visual than the usual post.

Sharif Bey is a ceramicist who offers us piles of pots.  I liked his portable studio, which he uses as he goes about the rest of his day, allowing him to make art anywhere.  What looks like a jumble of pots on the floor is actually a representation of human heads, many of them crushed or broken, a commentary on man's inhumanity to man.

Tanya Aquiniga concentrates on community-based projects around the U.S.-Mexico border.  I got to stand underneath her work Palapa - the photo is the view from inside.  Her weaving is meant to represent the weaving of cultures at the border.

Stephanie Syjuco is the maker of the electric green dresses, she would have livened up the costumes for "Little Women," no doubt.  Her view is that there is a relationship between how we categorize objects and how we view people.  So she shakes objects up a bit.

And finally, Dustin Farnsworth works in wood, making portraits of the marginalized and disadvantaged.  His particular focus is the decay that the youth of America will have to contend with - failing infrastructure for example, and the weight this places on them.

Overall, I confess I found the show a bit bleak.  Doubtless, this is a reflection of the serious issues of our times, and it's all necessary.  I'm not criticizing the artists for their outlook, much of which I share.  But if you're looking for the knitted superhero costumes of Invitationals past (one of my favorite things ever), this is not that show.

Verdict: I recommend this exhibit, but don't go expecting whimsy.