BEMIDJI, Minn. (Oct. 6, 2011) — Canadian sculptor Gregory Blair will open a show of his work entitled “The Unavowable Taxonomy” at Bemidji State University’s Talley Gallery beginning Monday, Oct. 17.

An opening reception for the show will be held Oct. 17 from noon until 3 p.m. “The Unavowable Taxonomy” will be open at the Talley Gallery through Nov. 11.

Blair’s work is influenced by the notion that the concept of “nature” is a human construct developed as a means to define knowledge of the world.

“Nature is often positioned as an ideology, in that it defines a space that signifies particular politics, ethics, identities, feelings, needs and desires,” Blair said. “Nature is used to sell products, win elections, define a way of life or even characterize moral constitution.

“By blending nature with imagery and ideas from other fields such as capitalism, new media, material culture, ecology, mass media and aspects of urbanity, my hope is to create artwork that functions both as a cultural critique and a source of wry humor,” Blair said.

Blair, originally from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, is currently an assistant professor of art at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. He earned a bachelor of fine arts in sculpture from the University of Lethbridge in 2001 and holds a master of fine arts in sculpture from the University of North Dakota. He is currently a doctoral candidate in visual art and art theory at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in Portland, Maine.

Located in room 212 of the Education Arts building on the campus of Bemidji State University, the Talley Gallery is barrier-free and open at no charge to the public. All activities in the Talley Gallery are supported by the University’s Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee and Bemidji State University’s Department of Visual Arts.

The Talley Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday; and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, contact Talley Gallery Director Laura Goliaszewski at (218) 755-3708.

LINKS
• Gregory Blair
• Talley Gallery