Carlow University Art Gallery’s newest installation “the name the words the memory” was created by Lena Chen and C. Ryu. It will be open through April 2025.
Interaction is not a word usually associated with art exhibitions. If you’ve ever been to a museum, you’re likely familiar with policies regarding touch and distance. In special cases, institutions will even have marks on the floor to indicate how close museum goers can get to a piece.
“the name the words the memory” breaks that rule.
The Carlow Art Gallery’s new show features a book nook meant for exploration. This space is for people to leaf through books and interact with others.
If you’re like me, you love the combination of art and writing. The interdisciplinary duo of visual and literary arts simultaneously engages with different parts of our brains and encourages us to think deeper. Some people connect more with words, while others are more attracted to images. This exhibit speaks to both sides.
Artists Lena Chen and C. Ryu compiled a list of books written by Asian and Asian American authors. This complements the visual elements of the exhibit, which features banners with excerpts from various novels and poems. If you’re short on time, however, you’ll be able to access some of the books through Grace Library. This collaboration gives Asian American authors “a permanent presence” on our campus. But pay special attention to the books in the nook! The artists slipped bookmarks into special sections to give you a “starting place” for conversations. These conversations can be with yourself, or with your peers.
Chen says that the nook is meant to amplify marginalized voices. It’s “a space for people to sit with those experiences and to spend time with the authors of those words.” Art is up to the viewer’s interpretation, and the same can be true for books and poetry. How will you interpret the excerpts and connect them to your experiences and feelings? It may be different depending on the time or day that you visit, so keep an open mind.
This installation is visually minimal; banners, books and artist designed shelves. It’s packed with voices, narratives and histories. The books become sculptures. Dr. Bowman-McElhone, curator of the gallery, says that this installation “disrupt(s) the constant movement” that you’re used to feeling in a museum. Instead, you can immerse yourself in literature and art to learn about other people’s experiences.
The Carlow University Art Gallery is open to students and staff on campus anytime the doors are open! Check our Instagram (@carlow_gallery) for updates on hours and events.
