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BSC’s Durbin Gallery to host dual exhibition “Structure for Seeing” in January
BSC’s Durbin Gallery to host dual exhibition “Structure for Seeing” in January
For Immediate Release
Dec. 16, 2016
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--The Durbin Gallery at Birmingham-Southern College will host an exhibition for most of January featuring the assemblages of two Alabama-based painters, Ty Smith and Jürgen Tarrasch.
“Structure for Seeing” is comprised mainly of graphite works, oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Jan. 13, from 6-8 p.m. in the gallery, and the collection will be on display Monday through Friday from Jan. 6 through Thursday, Jan. 26. Both events are free and open to the public.
Through his small-scale graphite works, Smith focuses on the relationship between action and thought, and the ways in which active thought and thoughtful action play important roles in his image-making process. “This will be the first showing of my paintings since returning to Alabama from Oklahoma, so I am excited to share what I’ve been doing,” he said.
Tarrasch explores the subtle tonalities and textures of fresco painting in his multi-layered, abstract compositions. “In addition to my art studies, I trained in Italy as a conservator of fresco--a technique of mural painting--and other fresco-related techniques,” he said. “This has greatly influenced the direction and process of my work.”
Smith, who lives in Birmingham, is an adjunct instructor in the department of art and art history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He graduated from UA in 2001 with a BFA degree and received his MFA from the University of Tulsa in 2009. In Tulsa, he studied with painter Mark Lewis, as well as artists Deborah Kahn and Stanley Lewis, during a summer program at the Chautauqua School of Art. He has extensive exhibition experience; his work has appeared in museums and other venues throughout the U.S.
Tarrasch is an adjunct professor of art at BSC. A German-born artist, he utilizes oils, pastels, watercolors, and fresco in his paintings, reinterpreting ancient practices in contemporary terms and exploiting the various formal and conceptual tensions that arise in the process. He received his MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland, and has participated in numerous exhibitions. His work can be found in private collections in the U.S. and abroad.
About Birmingham-Southern College:
Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution in Birmingham, Ala., founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls about 1,300 students from more than 30 states and 15 foreign countries.