Arts & Entertainment
Kirkwood Artist Goes Post-Apocalyptic
In her solo exhibition "River Road," Kirkwood artist Gwyn Wahlmann leads us into a world where humans have been thrown into a closer relationship with nature.
The following was submitted by the St. Louis Artists' Guild.
The St. Louis Artists' Guild presents River Road, a solo exhibition by Gwyn Wahlmann, part of the Aggregate Exhibition Series. In River Road, Wahlmann presents "relics from the future" created by an imagined post-apocalyptic society.
In River Road, Wahlmann explores her interests in anthropology, sociology, science and the natural world. The Kirkwood artist has imagined a possible future society, a post-apocalyptic world where humans have been thrown into a closer relationship with the natural world.
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Like today's wildlife, this tribe of humans follows the river corridor. Wahlmann has created a collection of objects, both functional and ceremonial, used by this tribe. The onkects are crafted from a combination of organic materials and remnants of the previous human civilization: bottle caps, license plates, rusty metal, and shards of glass.
River Road raises the issue of sustainabilty by envisioning a society that lives closer to nature and relies on creative resourcefulness.
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About Gwyn Wahlmann:
Wahlmann's investigations of the natural world began in her childhood, during which she spent a lot of time roaming the creek on her family's property looking for stones and fossils. She continues to explore creeks and natural areas today.
"Creeks and riverfronts have a way of putting things in perspective," Wahlmann says in her artist statement, "sometimes with surprising humor and synchronicitiies. Seems like everything winds up in a creek somewhere eventually."
Her interest in environmentalism led her to begin working with recycled and repurposed materials, such as discarded junk and found natural objects. Wahlmann is a member of the St. Louis Artists' Guild and has participated in several Guild exhibitions. She lives and works in Kirkwood.
River Road Details:
- Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 11, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Exhibition Dates: Nov. 11–Jan. 6
Aggregate Exhibition Series:
The Aggregate Exhibition Series at the St. Louis Artists' Guild is a group of six exhibitions in which artists, architects and desginers examine our culture of consumpton and possible solutions for establishing long-term ecological balance.
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