{"id":30108,"date":"2022-01-10T20:00:25","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T02:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=30108"},"modified":"2022-01-10T19:30:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T01:30:06","slug":"apsus-the-new-gallery-starts-2022-with-christina-a-wests-mere-mortals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2022\/01\/10\/apsus-the-new-gallery-starts-2022-with-christina-a-wests-mere-mortals\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU\u2019s The New Gallery starts 2022 with Christina A. West\u2019s \u2018mere mortals\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) The New Gallery<\/a>, with support from The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts<\/a> and the Department of Art + Design<\/a>, is pleased to present mere mortals <\/em>by Christina A. West<\/a> to continue an engaging 2021-22 exhibition season.<\/p>\n

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“mere mortals” is open through February 11 at Austin Peay State University’s The New Gallery. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cI am excited to bring the work of Christina A. West to Clarksville as her sculptures and installations have been exhibited by world-class art venues such as the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh and the Atlanta Contemporary,\u201d said The New Gallery Director Michael Dickins. \u201cHer work deals with the human figure as a way to try to understand and connect with others. It is informed by contemporary art criticism and social theory about the gaze as a way to call out dynamics and politics that complicate the act of looking.
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\n\u201cmere mortals<\/em> is part of Christina A. West\u2019s recent ongoing project that uses sculpture, video and photography to direct her gaze on the male body,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The exhibit is opens on Wednesday, January 12th, and runs through February 11th at The New Gallery, located in the APSU Art + Design building on the campus of Austin Peay State University. The exhibit is free and open to the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy most recent installations explore the female gaze on the male body as a way to empower and understand this underrepresented perspective,\u201d West said. \u201cThese works include video made during multiple sessions with male models as I directed them to perform a range of activities that convey vulnerability with strength and beauty with awkwardness, sometimes overlaid with references to classical art.<\/p>\n

\"APSU\u2019s<\/a>\u201cThese videos flip tropes common to the male gaze while presenting a perspective that moves beyond a simple reversal of the objectifying male gaze, conveying a mixture of desire, curiosity and empathy,\u201d West added. \u201cThe presentation of these videos is an integral element of the installation. With strategies such as placing the videos within small boxes that require people to lean in to view, or integrating mirrors into a display composition, viewing these videos engages the viewer\u2019s own body and creates a hyper-awareness of the act of looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

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There are several events associated with this exhibition:<\/h4>\n