IU Kokomo Art Gallery examines stuff of human nature
January 8, 2007
KOKOMO, Ind.—What can scientific thought tell us about being human? What ideas from man-made culture do we try to impose on the natural world?
Contemporary art reflecting on the relationships of body, nature, and science will be offered in The Human Nature Show at the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery on January 16–February 25.
Eleven artists created the videos, sound installations, sculptures, and color and ultrachrome prints on display. Several of the pieces appeared at IU’s School of Fine Arts Gallery in Bloomington when Human Nature debuted there in fall 2006.
IU Kokomo Gallery Director Gregory Steel is pleased to present the exhibition, the first show arriving in Kokomo as part of a cooperative program sharing exhibits among IU campus art facilities.
The Human Nature Show will challenge its viewers, Steel said, in much the same way that examinations of biotechnology and DNA sequences challenge our understanding of human nature. “The very thing that we believe makes us human is being disputed as just a part of a failing biologic system,” he said. “The work in this show examines this human nature, its viability, and its chances for continuance as we evolve to the next, maybe even post-human, level.”
Featured artists include IU Bloomington and IUPUI faculty members in fields ranging from fine arts to the sciences and informatics. Associate Professor of Biology Roger Hangarter , for example, created the video Brood X. In it, Hangarter recorded different stages of the cicada's life cycle, including its birth, reproduction and molting process.
The show also includes the bronze sculpture Trophy by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. Trophy drew critical attention as part of as outdoor sculpture invitational staged by the Herron School of Art and Design, when the school moved to the IUPUI campus in 2005.
Some art in The Human Nature Show depicts the human body and mature themes that might not be suitable for younger audiences.
Admission to the IU Kokomo Art Gallery is free. Hours are Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Wednesdays, until 8 p.m.; Saturdays, noon–4 p.m.; and Sundays, 1–5 p.m.
The Human Nature Show is funded in part by grants from the City of Kokomo Community Arts Commission, the Tippecanoe Arts Federation, the Indiana Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on this and future exhibitions, visit www.iuk.edu/gallery or call (765) 455-9523.
From the video and sound installation Hairlineby Jawshing Arthur Liou
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Color print The Baler by Linda Adele Goodine
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