Decorating the "Body in Question"
No, New York artist Larry Deemer is not advertising the "Hair Club for Mer-Men." He just likes finding colorful bunches of seaweed on neighborhood beaches, draping the vegetation on his head, and photographing himself. "I know it's silly, but it's fun," says Deemer. "I can't stop."
Several images from Deemer's Seaweed photo series will appear in Body in Question, an exhibition running Sept. 24 through Oct. 29 at the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery. The show focuses on how human beings adorn and transform their own bodies. Indiana artists have also submitted works, including sculpture, paintings, and "flash," or tattoo designs.
Tattoos and body piercing are just the latest wave of men and women's centuries-old interest in adorning and transforming their physical beings, said Gallery Director Gregory Steel. "The human body has become a canvas of sorts, a media by which we express our deepest feelings, hopes, dreams, and wishes. This exhibit will attempt to explore the 'why' and 'how' of this phenomenon."
Photographer Deemer said he rarely wears watches, jewelry, or other adornments. "I keep my hair simple (I suppose because I don't have much) . . . but I do get inspired when I see an object that I can incorporate into my image."
The gallery will host an opening reception for Body In Question on Sept. 28, from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission to all gallery exhibitions and events is free.
Located across from the IU Kokomo Library, the IU Kokomo Art Gallery is open Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesdays, until 8 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. For information, visit http://www.iuk.edu/gallery or call 765-455-9523.
Funding for this exhibition is provided in part by the Kokomo Community Arts Commission, the Tippecanoe Arts Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Indiana Arts Commission/Indiana Endowment for the Arts.
