The Impetus of Oligarchs
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The works of artist, independent curator, and educator Sarah Blood will be on display in the Lycoming College Art Gallery in an exhibition entitled, “Now Is The Time,” from Sept. 6-27. The opening reception and gallery talk are slated for Friday, Sept. 6, at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit, reception, and gallery talk are free and open to the public.
Born in the United Kingdom, Blood has enjoyed an active studio practice since 1999 and has exhibited extensively throughout the U.K. and the United States, and internationally in France, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Portugal, and Dubai. Blood’s work has been exhibited alongside contemporary artists, including Bruce Nauman, Agnes Denes, Glenn Ligon, Sarah Lucas, and Mona Hatoum, with exhibitions in prestigious venues such as the Royal Academy of Arts, London; Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris; Akron Museum of Art, Ohio; Windgate Museum of Art, Alaska; The Delaware Contemporary Museum, Del.; and Neuberger Museum, Purchase, N.Y.
"I used to think that light was everything, but light in isolation is nothing; we must also know the dark to understand our world."
Her work is in numerous permanent collections, including The Institute of Neuroscience, U.K.; The National Glass Centre, U.K.; Museuo Do Vidro, Portugal; the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, and Kohler Corporation, Wis., U.S.A.
Blood’s practice is concerned with light and phenomenology. Her work is best known for the interplay of material, form, object, and space. Light, often neon, is enriched by a counterpoint with conceptual, physical, and visual weight. Using beauty to draw the viewer into the work, she frequently employs metaphor or humor as an entry point. At first look, pieces can appear purely whimsical, a celebration of light and form, a joyful experience. With time and exploration, social and political themes are revealed.
“When I talk about light, I also talk about its absence. Light gives us color, warmth, and life, but we cannot perceive form, texture, and depth without shadows. I used to think that light was everything, but light in isolation is nothing; we must also know the dark to understand our world.”
Her current research explores themes of invisible labor, structures of power and inequitable systems. The resulting works explore light, sound, and movement using contemporary and obsolete technologies with traditional and non-traditional art-making materials to create object-based sculpture, performative interventions, video, and immersive experiences.
Blood is currently the associate professor of light in the sculpture dimensional studies program at Alfred University in New York, where she has been teaching since 2013.
The Lycoming College Art Gallery, located in downtown Williamsport at 25 W. Fourth St., contributes to the city’s arts culture and enables the College to become more involved with the surrounding community. Lycoming art students have the opportunity to interact with visiting artists and learn first-hand the inner workings of an art gallery.
The gallery is open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 4-8 p.m. For more information, please visit the gallery online at: https://www.lycoming.edu/art/gallery/24-25.aspx.