The Albright-Knox Art Gallery's newest exhibit, "Fresh: Recent Acquisitions," is just that - fresh.
Bringing together an impressive collection of modern and contemporary artists, the Albright-Knox has made this a holistic experience rather than a simple display of art. The collection offers an introduction to the museum's newest sculptures, paintings, prints, photographs and drawings.
Some of the hottest, up-and-coming artists can be found in the exhibit, most notably Inka Essenhigh. Her oil on canvas, "Deluge," is grouped among the exhibit's landscape pieces, but could be better appreciated as a landscape of the mind. This particular piece can be disturbing in the same way that Dali's work can be uncomfortable to look at. "Deluge" demands attention as one of the standout pieces featured in the exhibit.
Other notable works on display are Kara Walker's "Cotton," Olafur Eliasson's "The Cave Series, Looking Out" and Elizabeth Murray's "River Bank." Several pieces in the representation section present the sometimes-disturbing contemporary realities of racial stereotyping, and its effect in society - an issue that is crucial to explore at this time in the United States.
Michael Ray Charles' "The Target of Opportunity Gameboard" is one of these racially charged pieces. The painting depicts a sitting duck in a pond with the head of an African-American man. Large bull's-eyes, marked with points, cover the man's face.
Robert Colescotts' "Felling His Oats," shows a wealthy African-American man, who is still haunted by negative societal perceptions while he enjoys the pleasures of his riches.
The exhibit is broken into six categorical showings. "Space" explores the relationship between where a person is and the rest of her world. "Abstraction" focuses not so much on subject matter or content, but instead material, surface, color, shape and support. Consequently, "Figure" demonstrates the use of the human form to make subtle and occasionally more hard-hitting statements.
The "Landscape" section showcases modern life, but uses less traditional real-world subject matter than flowers or trees. In contrast, "Memory" conveys places, events and emotions of the past, and "Representation" is most concerned with the way subjects are approached.
Most works in the exhibit span more than one of these categories, and explore new ideas while breaking many of the old rules about their assigned genre.
Not only does the museum provide a way in which to spend a peaceful day learning about art and yourself, it's also affordable. Student admission is $4 and Saturday entry is free between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
"Fresh" will be showing on the ground floor of the museum through October 14th. For more information call 882-8700 or log on to www.albrightknox.org.
