The three artists exhibiting in A Candid World are Sheila Pree Bright, Amin Swessi and Dave Cole each of whom incorporate imagery of the American flag into their work in an edgy and sometimes politicized way as a contemporary commentary on American culture (re politics, consumerism, youth, etc).  As part of the Year of the Arts celebration at Eastern, organized jointly by the Departments of Performing Arts and Visual Arts, all Akus Gallery exhibitions for 2010-11 will celebrate American artists. The public is invited.  Admission is free.

Omar Rodriguez, age 18, American, 2006
Sheila Pree Bright

Young Americans Series
Chromogenic print from digital file,
created using a Hasselblad H3D camera
40” x 30”

Courtesy of the artist

Corporate America, 2004

Amin Swessi

Ink on paper

20 ¼” x 16”

Courtesy of the artist

     Bright's "Young Americans" is a series of large-format, chromogenic prints of people aged 18 to 25, each holding the American flag in some manner reflective of their sense of identity in the United States.  Cole, who is known for his massive site-specific, knitted installations, carefully takes apart and reconstructs his American flag imagery, using wildly diverse media such as toy soldiers, flags, or bullet casings, literally piecing together elements to recreate the American flag to its regulation size and color.  Swessi has created a "barcode flag" emblematic of American consumer culture. This design, which began as a graduate school project, has evolved into a mass-produced image sold through Urban Outfitters.

    
Jenny Liu, 2008 Young Americans Series
Sheila Pree Bright | photograph, 65” x 48”
courtesy of the artist