Works on
display throughout this academic year; September 22 opening reception a prelude to February 2024 visit, concert,
artist talk
CONWAY, Ark. (September 18, 2023) — Ellis
Hall, home to philosophy and religious studies at Hendrix College, also hosts
visual art, a variety of lectures, and occasional music performances. During
this academic year it will host all three from artist Sam
King. The first
opportunity centers on visual art, as the exhibition Useful Friction opens
with a 4 p.m. reception on Friday, September 22, 2023.
King says that the paintings in Useful
Friction are the result of a pursuit of meaningful relationships of color,
line, shape, and material. He calls them embodiments of experience: the passage
of time, chance, change, and the formation and abandonment of habits. Works may
include older pieces that he has broken down and recombined over several years—a
metaphor for the development of a person. “The self, in my view, is realized in
negotiation with its context over time,” King writes in an artist statement. “It
is a hub within a wider matrix of constantly changing connections.”
“Useful friction refers to the tension
between intuitive and grid-based visual structures which drives the composition
of my paintings, as well as the tension a viewer might feel when engaging
paintings that do not represent familiar imagery,” King writes. “We tend to
apply our perception for essential purposes: seeking food, shelter, safety, or
pleasure, for example. With this habit as a default setting, perception for its
own sake (or for some elusive end), might seem indulgent or unnecessary. I
recognize metaphor in this contrast. Is a person’s value merely a reflection of
their utility within a system, or can it be internally generated?”
Dr. James Dow, professor of philosophy
at Hendrix, is centering Sam King’s Useful Friction exhibit in the
course Aesthetics and Contemporary Art, offered in Spring 2023, as the class
participants discuss Dada and Abstract Expressionism in the history of 20th
century art.
“Sam and I have collaborated on
selecting readings, historical examples, and contemporary art to discuss with
students in the course,” Dow said. “In addition, students will have the
opportunity to engage with Sam King in class to discuss both his paintings and
his music and how the two mutually influence each other.”
As a companion to the visual art, King
will deliver an artist talk and bring his guitar-based audio project Untight to Hendrix on Thursday, February 22,
2024, from 6 to 8 p.m. Like the September opening, the February event is free
and open to all.
While Useful Friction creates
visual tension, Untight creates aural friction in its overlaid harmonies.
“Sometimes, notes using the two systems
are similar enough that the listener would not notice any difference; other
times, the notes beat against each other, creating a shimmering, sometimes
disorienting sensation that is for many listeners not quite music, but not
merely sound, either,” King wrote in an artist statement.
Hear
Untight on Bandcamp
About Hendrix College
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That
Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and
celebrated among the country’s leading liberal arts colleges for academic
quality, engaged learning opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus
life, and value. The Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III
sports. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since
1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“… Through engagement that links the classroom
with the world, and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice, and
sustainable living, the Hendrix community inspires students to lead lives of
accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy.”
—Hendrix College Statement of Purpose