The Denison University Art Gallery will open its second exhibit in the 2001-02 season with "Reflective Channels and Suspicious Objects," works by two Columbus-area artists that include foreign commentary and perspectives.

The two artists -- Wilfred Calvo Bono of Bexley, and Suzanne M. Silver of Columbus -- use different techniques. Calvo Bono does geometric abstract work with strong contrasting colors in paintings and constructions. Silver's installation art, influenced by recent Middle East travels, consists of objects that exhibit something that is "not quite right" and potentially alienating to the viewer.

"The works visually speak of the current national trauma as well as the language of art as a vehicle for universal translation and reflection" says Lee Hanford, acting director of the Gallery. The exhibit opens Friday (Oct. 26) with a reception for the artists from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Burke Hall Gallery (236 W. Broadway). The Gallery is open daily from 1 to 4 p.m. This show, which is free and open to the public, will be exhibited through Friday, Dec. 7.

Calvo Bono, a self-taught Cuban-American painter and graduate architect from the University of Havana, has exhibited his works throughout Ohio and Spain, Venezuela and Austria. He has exhibited in the Columbus area at: Trinity Episcopal Church, Cultural Arts Center, Bricker Hall at the Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College. He says, "I aim to create in the viewer visual stimuli, emotional feelings and intellectual activity that will partially isolate the person from all that distraction and generate reflective thoughts." His work is influenced by the Ecole de Beaux Arts, the German Bauhaus and Josef Albers. Calvo Bono developed a "Reversible Painting" done on both sides of a plexiglass sheet to which one can attach different colored backgrounds, creating a piece that can be changed.

Silver, a graduate of Smith College has also studied at Art Students League in New York City, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and the Ohio State University in Columbus. She has exhibited her work throughout the country and in Israel. Several works in the gallery are part of a series called "Suspicious Objects" - i.e. innocent backpack or bomb? - which was created last year in Jerusalem. Her work explores ideas of language and mapping, and recently has begun to focus on issues of home. The use of measuring tapes, knotted ropes, strings and rubber bands in the installation exposes the difficulty of calculating and expressing these ideas. In response to the tragedies of Sept. 11 Silver says, "I believe that artists have an important job ahead of them - that of questioning, doubting, resisting conformity, probing the national conscience, healing, consoling, voicing diverse opinions - creating rather than destroying."

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575