Only three weeks remain for visitors to experience the work of provocative Kenyan-born, Brooklyn-based artistWangechi Mutu at Drexel University, on display throughout Women’s History Month.
The show marks the inaugural exhibition of the newly expanded Leonard Pearlstein Gallery in Drexel’sAntoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and will be on display through Saturday, March 30. The gallery is open to the public Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Described as “one of the most exciting artists working in collage today” by the New York Times, Mutu uses a blend of materials such as magazine cuttings, paint, charcoal, glitter and found objects to explore themes ranging from female identity and definitions of beauty, western and traditional cultures, environmental desecration and the history of post-colonial Africa.
The exhibition features more than 10 collections of collages, sculptures and installations, including such highly regarded works as Suspended Playtime, which explores Kenyan children’s inventive practice of making soccer balls out of bundled and bound garbage bags, andThe Histology of the Different Tumors of the Uterus, a series of collages based on early 20th century medical illustrations.
Mutu’s work is housed in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) and has been featured in numerous collections throughout the world.
THIS IS DEEPLY HAUNTING WORK IN EVERY SENSE, AND AS POWERFUL AS A PRIMAL SCREAM. –PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
Mutu was born and raised in Kenya before moving to New York to study anthropology at The New School for Social Research and Parsons School of Art and Design. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 1996 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale in 2000.
Mutu currently lives in Brooklyn, and is represented by Barbara Gladstone in New York, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects in Los Angeles and Victoria Miro Gallery in London. She was awarded the 2010 Deutsche Guggenheim Artist of the Year.
The new Leonard Pearlstein Gallery has over 3,500 square feet and was designed by the architectural firm of Meyer, Scherer and Rockcastle. It is located at the URBN Center Annex (3401 Filbert St.).
Source:drexel.edu
