Identity, race expressed through art
Diverse exhibit creates awareness about social issues
February 2, 2016
When sophomore Jade LaBelle visited the “Hypervisible (Invisible)” exhibit at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, she felt inspired and moved by the thought-provoking artwork.
LaBelle said complexity in art makes it more interesting to view.
“(The art) may not look like there is race and identity in it right away, but it’s there as a symbolism and it looks cool and it’s way better when it has meaning to it,” LaBelle said.
Leslie Barlow, organizer and contributing artist for the “Hypervisible (Invisible)” exhibit, said she proposed the creation of the show with the intention of inspiring conversation about issues in society such as race and identity.
“I think what we really wanted to do was create work that would spark conversation,” Barlow said. “I really want my artwork to be a representation of issues in people that aren’t typically represented or talked about in the art world or in the media.”
According to Patience Lekien, a contributing designer, the exhibit calls for awareness of societal issues.
“The ‘Hypervisible’ exhibit was created to get more awareness of people of color and also to bring awareness to art that is socially aware and that is engaged in the conversation that’s going on,” Lekien said.
LaBelle said she thinks the artwork speaks about social issues in an unprecedented way.
“It’s another way for people to understand things in our society but through a more colorful way,” LaBelle said. “These people are working hard to show the social issues in our society through something as unique as art.”
According to Barlow, the artwork in the exhibit allows the artists to express themselves in a way they never could with words.
“These issues are complicated and they’re layered and there is so many different levels and layers to them that it’s hard to just say exactly how you feel,” Barlow said.
Barlow said the relevance of the exhibit applies to young people because it helps them get involved in their community.
“It’s good for young people to see what other young people are doing in the context of the things that are happening right now,” Barlow said.
Lekien said he sees great value in conversations about race, especially among high school students.
“For students of color to come in and see an exhibit that is talking about issues that they might be passionate about or that they want to talk about or that they want to engage in — I think that’s important in terms of representation,” Lekien said.
According to Lekien, his upbringing greatly influences his views on race and identity.
“My dual identity of growing up African American and Black American I think in itself is unique. It has allowed me to view race in a very different way. It has allowed me to engage in it in a very different way,” Lekien said. “Me identifying as black is what really drives my passion and interest in everything related to identity and race.”
Lekien said the variety of mediums used in the exhibit makes it different from others of the same nature.
“I believe that our exhibit is unique in the sense that it’s multidisciplined. We have a painter, we have photographer and then we have two designers,” Lekien said.
LaBelle said she believes the wide range of disciplines used in the exhibit help viewers to understand the art better.
“I think (the variety of disciplines) is really cool because then you can see the way they put things into art and their view of society which is then seen by other people,” LaBelle said. “If people don’t understand it in one way they can understand it through a different piece of art.”
Barlow said “Hypervisible (Invisible)” intends to question societal norms.
“We are trying to reconceptualize the structures of authority and categorization and challenge what is considered normal,” Barlow said.
According to Barlow, the exhibit runs in conjunction with the Guerrilla Girls takeover.
“(The Guerrilla Girls’) artwork is all about giving voice and rise to issues that aren’t typically talked about. They’re really about opening people’s eyes up and that’s what we’re trying to do with this show, too,” Barlow said.
“Hypervisible (Invisible)” is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The exhibit runs through Feb. 14 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts and is free to the public.
