Worldwide gallery gives students the chance to see worldwide change.
Artists showed both restraint and revolution in their works.
If the goal of the Memorial Union Curator, Anthony Faris, was to catch eyes with the stark red cloth hanging, featuring an assault rifle and the words “THOUGHTS & PRAYERS, WILL YOUR BABY BE NEXT?” then he succeeded. But the “Collective (in)Action” collection features more than just controversy.
In the gallery art from around the world portrays social and political change. “We kept it pretty opened ended because with this exhibition we were thinking about what motivates change,” Faris said, “whether that’s things that will make you stand up or sit back and actually not be activated.”
The gallery is focused on the action either taken or not taken advocated for, according to Faris. “We looked at this as an opportunity to have artists reflect on contemporary issues that are being addressed and not being addressed.”
The art is worldwide and far-reaching. “About 34 pieces got chosen by artists from all over the world,” Faris said. The gallery features work from 12 different states and six countries outside the U.S.
“So you see artists from Nigeria from Thailand from the U.K. all artists who are responding to contemporary issues,” Faris said. This breath of work creates a more global perspective according to Farris.
Despite this, Faris said a lot of the artists are dealing with the same problems.
Chihfen Tsai is a Taiwanese photographer who has photos of erosion in her home country on display. She traveled all the way to North Dakota just to exhibit her art in the gallery.
“My work is about the change of the environment, I found the association with the idea that the curator who wants to explore this direction,” Tsai said.
Her work is based on the environmental impacts of the population in Taiwan on the mountainous regions that often surround farms and cities. “The environment is very hard to sustain,” Tsai said.