LAKELAND – Polk Museum of Art is proud to welcome an exhibition of new works by Tampa Bay area artists Theo Wujcik and Kirk Ke Wang. The exhibition, titled “Invisible Elephant,” will open July 7, and run through October 13 in the Museum’s two main galleries.
An ancient parable tells of six blind men who encounter a large elephant. Each man feels a different part of the elephant and defines what they are encountering based on their particular perspective: One man feels the elephant’s trunk and concludes it is bamboo; another man touches the elephant’s ear and believes it to be a fan; a third feels the elephant’s leg and decides it is a pillar; and so on. The underlying message of the parable is that interpretation of information depends largely on your perspective and limited experience.
Wujcik, a master printer, was born in Detroit and is professor emeritus at the University of South Florida. Ke Wang, a painter, sculptor, photographer and mixed media artist, was born in Shanghai, China, and serves as professor of visual arts at Eckerd College. Wujcik and Ke Wang first worked together last year in Visual Unity 2, an exhibition at Polk Museum of Art that paired artists to co-produce new works for exhibition. While collaborating on that project, they became deeply interested in each other’s national identity. For Invisible Elephant, Wujcik and Ke Wang are working individually to produce new works based on their unique perspectives in relation to the other’s cultural background.
The exhibition will be celebrated at a reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, at the Museum. The artists will lecture about their work beginning at 6 p.m., and a reception featuring light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar begins at 7 p.m. The event is free for members and $10 for guests.
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