ARCHIVE: Poster Archive 2. Blue
Adriana Lademann | OCTober 15, 2015
It is raining for the first time in weeks. Outside the gallery, a fog sets and I am reminded that we are in a rainforest. Days like these are perfect for reflection, so for your enjoyment, here are this week’s selections.
My first selection is “Next Cloud, Please” from a solo exhibition of T.D.C Seghi, in the fall of 1970. The only person I could find under that name is a painter from Chicago, who now goes by Tom Seghi. His work consists mostly of fruits - apples, two apples, two apples and a paintbrush.
“People often ask me, “Aren’t you getting tired of painting pears and apples?” My only response is “No, I feel like I’ve just begun.” – Tom Seghi
There are also a variety of cloud paintings, including my personal favorite “Last night I saw some clouds.” There are no records of this exhibition on his website, however. This exhibition comes only one year after receiving his MFA in printmaking and painting from the Art Institute of Chicago. Tom has since passed away.
Next up is a poster for “The Simon Fraser University Dance Workshops In Concert.” There are no dates except that it happened in March. The details of this poster are really fantastic. The white layer is a matt finish, orange semi-gloss all the way up to the green, which is super glossy. When I run my finger over the poster, I can feel the layers. SFU MFA student Emiliano Sepulveda would describe this poster as sensuous. And indeed the bodies are layered upon each other, impossible to tell where one stops and one begins.
The last selection is “Contemporary Chinese Paintings: East-West.” This exhibition ran from October 5-30th 1987. According to Western scholars, the Cultural Revolution in the late 70’s exposed Chinese artists to Western art history and arguably marks the beginning of contemporary art in China. This is strongly opposed by Chinese historians, arguing that Eastern philosophies approached art making in a different matter, whether it was acknowledged by the west or not.
During the 1980s, there was a movement of Chinese artists interested in the Surreal. The painting in the poster is one of a flock of white cranes flying into the sun. The white crane is a classic symbol in Chinese culture and stands for longevity and immortality. This painting also reminds me of Icarus and his son flying too close to the sun, as his wings melt away.