“the skies are full of them,” an exhibition of oil paintings by artist and educator Danielle Mužina, will be on view from March 4-23 at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus Arts Annex and Complex.
An opening reception will take place on Friday, March 4 from 4-7 p.m.
Muzina’s oil paintings are seductive in their high-key palettes, but once engaged, the viewer finds themselves in a world of bent realities and psychological investigation.
“Set within the home space as a microcosm from which to observe larger social forces, my figurative paintings explore the intersection of gender performance with sense of place,” Mužina states. “These paintings grapple with the roles figures play actively or inactively, together or divided, in both contributing to and addressing a crisis.”
In this exhibition, Mužina’s painting depict a sky that is often in the process of turning an unnatural shade of pink. As this happens, characters in the paintings react to the apocalyptic turn of events by preparing themselves for wanted or unwanted changes, real or imagined threats, and sufficient or insufficient resolutions in an uncertain future. Within and between groups in her paintings, responses to environmental forces vary, creating either tension or solidarity. Women gather as groups for rebellion or defense, plot mysterious forms of vigilante justice, prepare to fight or flee, or pick up the pieces together after a cataclysm. Some figures seem to be healing from wounds, while others are curious about the harnessing apocalyptic magic, and many cleave to their homes in panic.
The Art Annex Gallery in the River Campus Arts Annex and Complex is located at 340 S. Frederick St. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 1-4 p.m., and 1-7 p.m. on First Friday with the Arts. All gallery exhibitions, events and talks are free and open to the public.