20″x44″; collage, acrylic, oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Vanessa Compton: Good Luck Country
at The Brinton Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming, USA
4-30 June 2020
Virtual Opening Reception via Zoom: Saturday, 13 June 7PM MDT. Click HERE to register.
Vanessa Compton presents collage work in “Good Luck Country” in the museum’s Northern Trust Gallery .
The artist says about the work:
Sourced images of cowboys, cacti, craggy rock formations, and other iterations of the western visual vernacular feature heavily in my mixed media collages. These oft-romanticized icons of Americana can reflect a darker side of our nation’s past and its reverberations into the present. Considering the ways in which my personal story is informed by a historical narrative of settler-colonialism, institutionalized racism and normalized toxic masculinity, my most recent collages address themes of social justice through the lenses of my own gender identity, whiteness, and implicit personal privilege.
36″x36″; collage, acrylic, oil on canvas; 2019. Courtesy of the artist.
Central to my current process is the overarching question: “Who gets to tell whose story?” An open-ended exploration of identity and authenticity, my latest work attempts to remind the viewer of the power of intentional imagery – particularly that of negative imagery – to influence perceptions of oneself and others. Reflecting on the ways in which I have benefitted from systems of oppression as a white, cis-gendered woman, I believe that addressing our blind spots, however uncomfortable, is a critical step in moving the needle towards social justice. I do believe that in accountability lies a possibility for positive change.
INFORMATION
The Brinton Museum
239 Brinton Road
Big Horn, Wyoming 82833 USA
(307) 672-3173
Hours:
Thursday-Monday, 10AM-4PM