Don't envy Kayla Aubid. Or Juliane Shibata, for that matter.
As jurors for the 63rd Arrowhead Regional Biennial, Aubid and Shibata were responsible for winnowing 133 entries into 27 works, and from there, to first, second and third places:
1st: Modern Times by Jonathan Thunder
2nd: FORCED/FORCE by Tia Keobounpheng
3rd: An Iron Wedge by Julie Benda
Also at the Duluth Art Institute, Roshan Ganu's In the Presence of Longing exhibition is up until next month.
from Roshan Ganu's website:
An exploration of the Marathi word ‘उत्कंठा’ through the visual language. A literal translation would be ‘an impatient longing’ but the Marathi language has approximately 58 words that can translate to a mere ‘longing’ in English with a need to add an adjective like ‘impatient’ before it. In the migratory experience one confronts a multitude of longings of/associated with geographical, cultural, spiritual, domestic nature making the experience a universal one. With the use of transparent, fluid and reflective surfaces along with light and ink, the emotion of
‘उत्कंठा ‘ is translated into an immersive space of contemplation.
And Michael Letts' exploration of "rural diners, bars, and northern Midwest crannies," called Closer to the Wild is up through the beginning of the year at the DAI.
"Here, he finds beauty in the workers, hunters, and denizens of the backcountry and examines the mythology of American individualism. Known for independence and self-reliance, Americans now face the impact of an increasingly interconnected reality. Letts reflects on how technology propels society to “live more and more on a screen, through glass, literally flattened.” Mirroring this effect in his monoprint painting technique, Letts layers paint on glass plates before transferring the work onto canvas."
