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New York Artist Reveals
The Heavens At U.Va.’s Fayerweather Gallery February 18, 2003-- WHO:
Artist Andra Samelson WHAT:
Artist lecture WHAT:
Seminar on her works reflecting the destruction of Buddhist statues
in Afghanistan and a related project in support of their restoration
Beginning Friday, Feb. 28, a ground installation, also titled “Ephemeris,” will be exhibited in front of the gallery. The installation is composed of a 25-foot-diameter circle of a reflective, sand-like material called Black Beauty. Arranged on this surface will be more than 100 mirrors and Mylar reflective hemispheres varying in size from 1 to 15 inches. The creation is a metaphoric map of the night sky. “An unrealized dream of Jefferson was to paint a night sky on the interior of the dome room of the Rotunda,” said Bill Bennett, chairman of U.Va.’s studio art program. “‘Ephemeris,’ with its hemispherical stars, helps to complete Jefferson’s dream.” Samelson said, “Reflection is the primary component of the piece. Anything that is happening in the moment — a bird flying over head, a cloud drifting by, someone bending over to look at the piece — is a part of the piece.” U.Va. students will work with Samelson during a week-long residency in the McIntire Department of Art to create the installation. Samelson’s upcoming projects include a larger installation based on “Ephemeris” for the New Jersey Transit System. She will also curate an international exhibit of works created in support of the restoration of the colossal Buddhist statues in Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. The exhibit will open at the Afghanistan Museum in Exile, located outside Basil, Switzerland, then travel to other museums around the world. The project, which grew out of a piece Samelson created in response to the statues’ destruction, was displayed at the United Nations in 2001. Samelson will conduct a seminar about this project on Friday, Feb. 28, at 10 a.m. in Campbell Hall, Room 158. She will also give a lecture on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 5:30 p.m. in Campbell Hall, Room 160. All events are free and open to the public. Fayerweather Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, contact Bill Bennett at (434) 924-6138 or whb@virginia.edu. Contact: Jane Ford, (434) 924-4298 |
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