Hite Art Institute offers exhibition that examines art and ecology

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville Hite Art Institute presents “Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems,” an exhibition curated by critical and curatorial studies master’s candidate Madison Sevilla Jan. 12-Feb. 24 in Schneider Hall Galleries. “Unseen” features sculptures and drawings by Stephen Cartwright and Shohei Katayama that explore the intersections between art and ecology.

            Cartwright’s data visualization sculptures function as self-portraits created through detailed documentation of his life and routines. The sculptures contrast graphed data about his geographical location (such as wind patterns, temperature and precipitation) against his activity and mental health. Cartwright has compiled over 150,000 data sets over the past seventeen years and analyzes various trends to examine the scope of his existence. The artist then renders the data into a three-dimensional illustration.

            Katayama’s work is ecologically aware and he utilizes his drawings and sculptures as a catalyst for environmental conversations. Using materials like magnets, iron flakes and oil-based sharpies, his work showcases unseen relationships in ecology.

            “‘Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems’ provides viewers with the groundwork to contemplate the impact on and interactions between the various systems that surround us,” Sevilla said. “Cartwright and Katayama offer visualizations of the infinite and continuous ecologies that constitute our routines.”

            Cartwright is an associate professor and associate director for the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL. He has exhibited work in various exhibitions around the country and works with a range of materials including glass and acrylic resins.

Katayama is a Japanese American artist based in Louisville. He has exhibited works in multiple exhibitions along the East Coast. In 2010, Katayama earned a BA from Bellarmine University and is currently working toward a Master of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA.

The opening reception is 6-8 p.m. Jan. 12. Click here for directions to the Cressman Center Gallery, 100 E. Main St., and here for gallery hours. For more information, contact Reitz at cjreit02@louisville.edu.

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