UD Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery Presents ‘site_midnight_sun>>orangegreengrey’
Collaborative Exhibition Glows with Midnight Sun of Iceland
Date Published: Nov. 29, 2017
The Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery proudly announces a new collaborative exhibition, “site_midnight_sun>>orangegreengrey,”
featuring the dynamic “Drone Beuys” Nick Bontrager and Adam Fung. Both artists will
share details of their latest Icelandic expedition during an artist talk on Thursday,
Nov. 30, 2017, at 5 p.m. in the Haggar Auditorium in the Art Village on the University
of Dallas campus, followed by a reception in the gallery.
The exhibition “site_midnight_sun>>orangegreengrey” takes its inspiration from the
unique color palette created by the light phenomena and unique landscapes of Iceland.
Their exhibition is available for viewing through Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018.
Bontrager and Fung arrived at the Herhús (known as the “Armyhouse”) in Siglufjördur,
Iceland on the first day of the midnight sun. While there, the artists experienced
24 hours of daylight for nearly the entire duration of their three-week stay, allowing
them seemingly endless opportunities for exploration and study of the landscape as
well as time spent painting, drawing, shooting aerial videos, laser-scanning the landscape
and taking photographs.
The exhibition affords gallery viewers the unique opportunity to witness how these
artists engage with nearly every element of their environment to offer new perspectives
by utilizing technology and capturing aerial drone footage. A central gallery installation
is staged in a darkened space with large moving images alongside sculptures and photographic
work on gold foil paper. Also, following in the tradition of an artist expedition
(with a nod to the German performing artist Joseph Beuys), materials and imagery are
incorporated into multifaceted field sketches to suggest open-ended, ongoing possibilities.
The artistic “Drone Beuys” duo operates at the intersection of art, science, and technology and often engages
with unfamiliar environments to produce unexpected results. Bontrager and Fung both
are currently serving as assistant professors of art at Texas Christian University
and have exhibited widely in the region.
The Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery is proud to host this exhibition in conjunction with
a partnering show presented by Collin College, “site_fjord_fjall>>blueblackgreen,”
which is available for viewing now through Dec. 8, 2017, at The Arts Gallery in Plano.
Visit the Haggerty Gallery for further details.
Photo Credit: Drone Beuys (Nick Bontrager/Adam Fung) | "Sleipnir's Footprint" | Photograph | 2017