A kaleidoscope of colors is currently on display at Union South’s Gallery 1308 in an exhibit called “two-way,” created by Derek Larson and Marc Mitchell. It’s a series of small canvases placed side-by-side on the (still) mostly empty white walls. The pieces are all about eight by six inches, and they sit a little below eye-level if you’re standing, or right at it if you choose to view the pieces from the benches in the middle of the room. There were two people hanging out in those seats while I took in the exhibit, and it seemed like they had a good idea. If you’re in between classes and looking for something to do during lunch, it’d definitely please the eyes to take in the gallery. The art says “freedom” with sporadic colors, lots of glossy paint and some intriguing shapes and prints thrown in.
Filling even a small gallery is a lot to ask from one or two artists, so it’s not surprising that there’s a little repetition within these pieces. It’s also a bit striking that the paintings take up so little of the wall. When you walk into the room you’ll probably see mostly white and have to take a moment to get used to the placing of the art before you can give it its due respect. These paintings can’t be taken in as they would at a museum or when studied in a history class. These aren’t murals, scenes, portraits or really any kind of real-life objects. What Larson and Mitchell have on display is primarily color and shape.
There are two pieces in particular that will stick out among the rest. If the rest of the exhibit was, in one word, “freedom,” these two displays are “happiness.” On the windowed side, above your head, you’ll see Laron’s smiley-face design protruding from the wall with its wide mouth and oversized circles for eyes. A projector on the other side of the room shines multicolored, somewhat psychedelic patterns onto it. Whether or not you tend to enjoy this style of art, this is something worth seeing—or at least something to look at that while you enjoy your lunch break.
The only other 3-D art in “two-way” is a canvas with concentric rectangles of rough plaster emerging from the flat space. The plaster builds toward the center where Mitchell has planted a piece of protruding wire and hung a keychain that reads: “I (heart) me.” Combined with the smiley face on the opposite wall, this piece brought out sense of contentment and warmth that stayed with me long after visiting the gallery.
“two-way” is open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., November 12-18 in Gallery 1308 at Union South. For more information visit the exhibit’s website.
