Two of Sunny Bellistan Taylor's works on display in the UMC Art Gallery as part of her project 'The Accumlate', her artistic view of society's progression. (CU Independent/Patrick Ghidossi)
Taylor said the display is a reflection upon the accumulation of society as both the “detritus and pristine intermingle.”
The display is comprised of 24 mixed media and oil pieces, which were each made between 2008 and 2010 and range in size from 4 feet to 5 inches across.
The large paintings reflect architectural aesthetics and expansion of both vertical and horizontal space. As the identical, worn buildings extend into the horizon, Taylor creates a commentary on the growing population and accumulation of society.
“This expansion can both connect us and separate us from one another on so many levels,” Taylor said in her artist statement. “It brings ideas and people closer together…yet in turn homogenizes character and culture and confuses identity.”
The larger paintings command the most attention in the gallery and showcase the most artistry in Taylor’s collection with her line precision and placement of the buildings.
Caleb White, a 21-year-old junior architecture major, said he thought the large paintings were the most interesting in the exhibit.
“The larger paintings had an interesting quality,” White said. “They are never orientated toward the viewer…there was tone and interesting depth and a layer of complexity.”
Some students like Sam Black, a 20-year-old junior humanities major, said they see a deeper meaning in the Taylor’s paintings.
“The geometric nature is a reference to the square shape that we make our buildings,” Black said. “It shows how we make a grid over everything.”
The smaller works in the exhibit such as “The Good Side” and “Afterthought” play upon texture, as the blocks protrude from the wall. The pieces are composed of mixed materials with different textures and colors. The different colored and textured blocks fit together in a near Tetris-esque manner, complete with missing blocks, seen most clearly in “Day by Day.” By incorporating the negative the space with the accumulation motif, Taylor suggests there is a greater potential to expansion.
White said he could not find a significant message from Taylor’s smaller pieces, though he does find them intriguing.
“I definitely find it interesting, but I don’t understand the smaller [mixed media pieces],” White said.
The least imaginative pieces in the collections are seen with “Composition 4,” “5,” and “6.” The three works resemble an early school cut-and-paste project. These compositions appear as a two-dimensional perspective of the three-dimensional mixed media pieces, but the message feels more muted and lost in dimensional translation.
The UMC Art Gallery is currently showcasing Sunny Belliston Taylor's display, 'The Accumulate'. (CU Independent/Patrick Ghidossi)
“These works seek to draw the viewer into both the excitement and the doom associated with such large scale incidences of accumulation,” Taylor said in her statement.
Visitors will have an opportunity to meet with Taylor on March 17 for a gallery reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., according to the UMC website.
Taylor has both a bachelor’s and master’s of fine arts, which she received from Brigham Young University and Ohio State University, respectively, according to her website. Taylor currently works at BYU as an assistant professor in the visual arts department.
“The Accumulate” exhibit will be on display until March 18th at UMC Art Gallery, which is free to the public and is open weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Rose Heaphy at Josephine.heaphy@colorado.edu.
