Exhibit opens Feb. 2
Art that challenges space and time will be the focal point for FOLD: Art, Metaphor and Practice, a series of art exhibits, lectures and live performances over the next two months in McAllen and Edinburg. Artwork by 13 women artists will converge in what is described as a presentation of works that explore the concept of the fold in terms of form and conceptual metaphor in both stationary and time-based art media.
“This is my most ambitious curatorial project and I’m confident enough to claim its curatorial uniqueness, aesthetic and complexity,” said Raheleh Filsoofi, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley assistant professor in ceramics and exhibition curator. “This one-of-a-kind project dives into the theme of women and society through its diverse catalogue.”
Exhibits
UTRGV and McAllen’s International Museum of Art & Science collaborated to organize the art event. FOLD opens at the International Museum of Art & Science in McAllen Feb. 2 with a talk by artist and University of Denver professor Laleh Mehran at 5:30 p.m. An opening reception then follows from 6-8 p.m.
Mehran will speak on “Calculations to Enfold: conversation with the artist and curator.” Mehran, along with artists Sibel Kocabasi, Giannina Coppaino Dwin and Naja Marais, will be the featured artists in the first exhibition that opens at IMAS that same day and runs through April 1.
Artists Linda Behar and Isabel Gouveia, as well as Rojhaneh Hosseini, Dorotha Grace Lemeh and Amber Scoon will exhibit at the UTRGV Visual Art Gallery, 2412 South Closner Road in Edinburg, from Feb. 15 to March 29. A reception takes place Feb. 22 from 6-8 p.m.
A third exhibition will be housed at the UTRGV Visitors Center, 1201 West University Drive in Edinburg, from Feb. 27 through March 30. This collection will feature artists Misoo Filan, Gulia Huber, Sibel Kocabasi and Golnar Shahyar. A reception is also planned for Feb. 27 from 6-8 p.m.
To complement the FOLD exhibits, flamenco dancer Niurca Marquez and guitarist Jose Luis de la Paz will perform on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, 1201 West University Drive in Edinburg.
Discussions and lectures
Scheduled lectures include Dr. Riccardo Pizzinato, UTRGV assistant professor of art history, speaking on “Fold as Meaning in Medieval Art” at 4 p.m. on March 8, and Dr. Brian McConnell, professor of art history and classical archaeology at Florida Atlantic University, talking on the subject of “FOLD: Let the Metaphor Reveal,” at 12 p.m. on March 22. Both lectures take placwe at the School of Art on the UTRGV Edinburg campus.
The final lecture will discuss “Luxuries of Trade: Folding Screens in Colonial Latin America” with Dr. Katherine McAllen, UTRGV assistant professor of art history, at 1 p.m. on March 31 at IMAS.
A panel discussion with five UTRGV faculty members will delve into “Unfolding Social Issues” from 5-6:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Visitors Center on Feb. 27.
All FOLD events held at the UTRGV campus are free and open to the public. General admission at IMAS includes the events. Events are also free to museum members and UTRG faculty and students with ID.