Professors as painters. Staff as photographers. Students as sculptors. Alumni as graphic artists.
鈥淚鈥檓 amazed by the diversity in this community and the talent in this room,鈥� said Peter Dykhuis, director of the , at Thursday鈥檚 grand opening of the 58th Student, Staff, Faculty and Alumni Exhibition.
鈥淭hese artists may have gone on to become rock stars in their own fields, but they carry this talent with them.鈥�
Since the Art Gallery opened its doors in 1953, it鈥檚 made space once a year for the Dal community to display its artistic talents. The exhibit is now open, and runs until December 18.
鈥淭his is a lovely tradition and an expression of who we are as a community,鈥� said Irene Oore, a professor in the Department of French and who has three watercolours in the exhibit this year. 鈥淭his community鈥檚 soul is in the arts,鈥� she added.
Sharing inspirations
One of the largest pieces this year is a collaboration between Serguei Iakovlev, engineering math and internetworking professor, and Halifax-based artist Patrick Rapati. The paintings鈥攆illed with numbers and equations like something out of a conspiracy movie鈥攃ombine Dr. Iakovlev鈥檚 actual mathematics work with Mr. Rapati鈥檚 artistic interpretations.
鈥淲hen we started discussing the project, we were on the same wavelength 鈥� how math can work as art,鈥� explains Dr. Iakovlev.
Another striking piece is from from Zeqirja "Zack" Rexhepi, a painter with Facilities Management, whose experience at a Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa talking to World War II veterans inspired him to craft a colourful fusion of modern day with the wartime past.
鈥淚t was very cold [in Ottawa], but the veteran I spoke to said he wasn鈥檛 cold because his mind was in Italy, 1944,鈥� says Mr. Rexhepi. 鈥淚 wanted to make that feeling real, to symbolize that feeling to show how they fought for the freedom of a new generation.鈥�
Duane Jones, who works with MedIT and is also completing his Masters of Information Management, found his inspiration for his painting 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Gayngsta鈥� in evolving ideas of male status.
鈥淚 was thinking about male status in society and how men are taking on more female characteristics than before. I wanted to explore that changing perception, particularly how it鈥檚 expressed within hip hop.鈥�
A multitalented community
In addition to championing the work of his AV俱乐部 peers, Mr. Dykhuis also added his artistic voice to the mix, with a project collecting paper documents from his life and work.
鈥淚鈥檝e been working in galleries over the years, collecting envelopes, notes, the paper artifacts...I鈥檝e got literally Rubbermaid containers full of them,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not quite a diary, because I鈥檓 not writing the text, but it鈥檚 like the web of connections you build in your life.鈥� 聽
As curator, though, it鈥檚 the connections between the professional and artistic lives of the Dal community that he鈥檚 excited to share.
鈥淲e have a lot of new contributors in the exhibition this time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t really underscores how multitalented the community is.鈥�
The 58th Student, Staff, Faculty and Alumni Exhibition runs until December 18. The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends.