By Shelby Coulter
The walls of Valdosta State University’s Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery are currently covered by an overwhelming array of color and decorative pattern that invites discussion on today’s sociopolitical realities. These walls hold “Bearing Witness,” a bold exhibition that includes installations by Margi Weir, an artist and professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. “Bearing Witness” features work from three of Weir’s recent series that include topics that are personal and political. Her work involves “blurring—but not hiding—the socio-political and ecological themes in her pieces,” according to Weir’s artist biography. Weir’s exhibit opened February 17th and will close March 6th, 2020, after Weir presents her artist talk at noon.
Upon entering the gallery, the space seemed very empty. The only thing on the floors were a couple of benches and a check-in desk. However, this was easily balanced out by what was happening on the walls. Due to the surrounding variety of color and media, the emptiness of the gallery floor was needed. The two benches placed in the middle of the gallery were for visitors to sit and ponder—and for this exhibition you would want to. “Bearing Witness” includes three separate but related bodies of work: a series of ten paintings titled The Politics of Hue, a previous body of work about gun violence, and a newer body of work that was made in response to the separation of refugee children from their parents at the Southern U.S. Border. Although these bodies of works are separate, they complement each other well in one gallery space.
The Politics of Hue takes up half of the gallery’s wall space, displaying ten large acrylic paintings on plexiglass that are surrounded by cut vinyl. The cut vinyl is directly attached to the white walls. Each painting represents a hue and displays a collection of images of people, places, and/or things in our contemporary America that associate with that specific hue. The Politics of Hue, along with the other bodies of work, is an interesting sight to look at as your eyes bounce back and forth between the clean white wall, sharp cut vinyl, and the different surfaces of ‘snap line’ and smooth, blended paint. In Weir’s artist statement, she explains, “A ‘snap line’ is made by dipping cotton twine into thinned acrylic paint or ink and snapping a taut line onto the support… The ‘snap line’ is a record of the violent impact of paint with support.” An extreme contrast exists in not only the media but the content, too. Weir creates a contrast in the positive and negative associations with that hue, depending on the viewer.
Orange Crush, one of the ten pieces in The Politics of Hue, represents the color orange. The vinyl that surrounds the painting depicts a pattern of orange caution flags that crisscross each other. Inside the border of flags is a border including the words associating with the color orange: “FANTA SUNSET WARNING CONES TRUMP CARROTS BASKETBALL CITRUS FRUIT CANDY CORN BENGAL TRIGGERS ORANGUTANS ORANGE M+M’S MONARCH BUTTERFLIES PAPAYAS BLAZE ORANGE ORANGE TABBY CATS CAUTION FLAGS ORANGE CRUSH JACK O LANTERN ORANGE FOX CHEETOS ORANGE CRUSH CARROT GOLDFISH PUMPKINS.” Looking at Orange Crush from top to bottom there are six rows of different representations. Monarch butterflies flood the first row. The second row includes basketballs and President Trump’s head. The third row depicts construction caution cones. The fourth row is significantly larger than the other rows and includes the words “ORANGE CRUSH JACK O LANTERN ORANGUTAN BENGAL TIGERS CITRUS” at the top. Following below are two men wearing orange hunting gear crouching and aiming a gun at each other. In between the two men is a larger-than-life orange or some type of orange citrus fruit. The background of this row reveals Weir’s ‘snap line’ technique. The fifth row depicts hanging carrots that are different shades of orange. The sixth and last row includes Crush soda cans, orange Fanta bottles, and orange fish. Below this are the words “BLAZE ORANGE CHEETOS ORANGE JULIUS.”
Orange Crush emphasizes issues on the regulation of guns in the United States. The two men dressed up in hunting gear in Orange Crush is an important message to the viewers. Most people in America can agree that there is too much gun violence in this country. After all the school shootings, police brutality, etc. we still haven’t put enough gun restriction in the laws. Less restriction on gun laws makes it easier for any ordinary person to get shot. Many people who hunt are opposed to more restriction on guns, so placing two hunters with guns aimed at each other with the intentions of killing an animal can just as easily kill a fellow hunter. Police can kill the bad guy just as easily as he could kill the good guy. More access to guns causes more instances of killing our fellow citizens.
“Bearing Witness” is a successful and powerful exhibition. It is not only carefully and meticulously laid out, but it has an enormous power that confronts today’s political issues. Margi Weir is courageous to set up a show like this in South Georgia. South Georgia is a place that holds many Trump supporters, conservative values, and prideful gun owners. “Bearing Witness” has yet to die down in conversation in both positive and negative ways and I don’t think it will anytime soon.
Bio: Shelby is a senior at Valdosta State University. She is a BFA in art major. Shelby will graduate in May 2020 and wants to pursue a career in graphic design.