PRINTNaturally selected
In the art world, only the strong survive
KEVIN A. ROBERTS
This bronze sculpture titled Genome, by Larry Young, represents a double helix.
March 19, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Change. Sam Cooke and David Bowie sang about it. Barack Obama rode the symbolic word all the way to the White House. But Charles Darwin was the first person to give the word meaning.
Darwin believed that evolution pushes certain organisms to change over time so that they can adapt and survive in their surroundings. The idea created controversy among people of faith and became a phenomenon in 1859 when Darwin wrote the book, On the Origin of Species, which still causes dinner-table debates. To commemorate his achievements and 200th birthday, PS: Gallery is hosting an exhibit called “Natural Selection” until March 28. Eleven pieces will be on display, and each explores the idea of evolution.
What: “Natural Selection”
When: Through March 28
Where: PS: Gallery, 812 E. Broadway
Cost: Free
Call: 442-4831
The exhibit’s pieces are either gifts to the retina or headache-inducing experiences. As if trying to find Waldo, spectators sit, stand, squint and stare to understand what they’re looking at. A monkey with fingerlike feet paints an abstract nature scene. In an effort to criticize the idea of evolution, the hand of God reaches out to create a tarantula as if to say that an organism as unappealing as a spider couldn’t have come together on its own. A porcelain bust covered in sea creatures protests the destruction of natural reefs around the world.
Many pieces are intricate, but the simplest ones catch the viewer’s eye, such as the one of a fat pink iguana. The watercolor named Missing Pink profiles the recently discovered yet endangered iguana that Darwin never found on the Galapagos Islands. Scientists nicknamed the lizard “Rosada,” in reference to the Spanish word for pink. “To hear about this discovery around the time of Darwin’s birthday is what tied it together for me,” says artist Marilyn Cummins about her work. “I wanted this iguana to stand out.”
Another piece, standing quietly but powerfully in the midst of photographs and drawings, is a bronze sculpture called Genome by Larry Young. Young created his piece before the exhibit came together but knew it would fit. “This piece really spoke to the theme of the show; it kind of covers everything,” Young says. The $6,000 sculpture captivates with its detail as a bronze double helix twists and turns and finishes into a polished egg. The work is a moving tribute to human creation. Small in stature, approximately 28 inches, the figure speaks to the beauty and fragility of life as a shimmering bronze egg hangs on by the thinnest thread.
Neither focused on science nor religion, the exhibit is more about celebrating the work of an accomplished man. And life. “The fact that they can take so many different perspectives to illustrate his one idea is amazing,” says MU student Kristen Wagner. “It’s nice, it’s different and fun,” says onlooker Kay Kewley.
In “Natural Selection,” no work is alike. Encompassing sculpting, painting, photography and even wood-burning techniques, each is appreciated differently. “To come and see how other artists approached the topic is really interesting,” Cummins says.
So no, Charles Darwin might not be as popular as Barack Obama or croon like the legendary Sam Cooke, but Darwin doesn’t need to be cool. His name will always sit in the first chapter of biology books and in the minds of the biggest science nerds. The strong definitely do survive.
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