Kolkata Cityscapes, an exploration of the rapidly evolving third largest city in India more than 70 years after India gained its independence from Great Britain, will be on display in a photographic exhibit in the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus Art Gallery in October and November.
Emily Denlinger: Kolkata Cityscapes will open Oct. 5 with an artists talk at 4:30 p.m. and a reception from 5-7 p.m. in the gallery as part of First Friday arts activities in downtown Cape Girardeau. In conjunction with the artist talkDr Willie Redmond, Southeast professor of economics and director of International Business Programs, will give a talk titled A Global Economic Perspective on Kolkata Cityscapes.
In conjunction with the exhibit, instructors from Southeasts Student Recreation Center will present a brief history of yoga and lead participants in a workshop from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 10 and noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 26 in the River Campus Art Gallery. The workshop will focus on slowing down the mind and body. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mats. In addition, some mats will be available to borrow.
In the exhibit, that will remain on display through Nov. 9, visitors will see old and new technologies, class disparity and religions juxtaposed and blended through panoramic photographs taken while traveling through the city. Expansion and contraction of space and time highlight the complex balancing act of cultures that share these public spaces.
Denlinger, Southeast associate professor of art, will display large format digital composite panoramic photographs that deal with these topics firsthand from her travels to India. Her photographs have been exhibited around the country and are held in private collections internationally.
Denlingers digital photographs are rich tapestries of the figures, colors and landmarks indigenous to the locations she has visited and documented, said Justin Miller, associate professor of art and exhibitions coordinator. The panoramic orientation of the photos will wrap around the gallery creating an ornate installation for viewers to study.
Originally from Ohio, Denlinger, serves as the Area Head and associate professor of Digital Art at Southeast. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2D Art with a concentration in photography from Bowling Green (Ohio) State University. She went on study at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, where she earned a Master of Arts in digital art, which she then transferred into a Master of Fine Arts in photography and digital imaging. Before moving to Missouri, she was an adjunct professor at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Denlinger’s artwork explores the human condition, issues of identity, survival, gender, power and codependency. She is interested in the way these topics surface consciously and subconsciously while she is creating. Denlinger’s images capture her psychological interpretation of reality. As someone with an active dream life, she works to find the connections between her awake and asleep lives.
The River Campus Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the historic Seminary Building in Room 106. River Campus Art Gallery hours are 1-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1-7 p.m. on First Fridays. All gallery exhibitions, events and talks are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Justin Miller at rcgallerycoordinator@semo.edu or (573) 651-2865.