Paintings by Bloomsburg, Pa., artist Jason Godeke are on display in an exhibition entitled “Survivors,” open today in Bemidji State University’s Talley Gallery.

Godeke’s work explores theatrical narratives with themes found in personal experiences, myths and historical events.

“I am interested in creating a tension between a traditional, attractive form and specific, sometimes disturbing, subject matter,” he said. “The challenge for me is to bring contemporary relevance to a timeworn mode of representation.”

Recently, Godeke has been intertwining toy figures, including some he has built himself from parts of other toys, metal armatures and clay, with on-site landscape observations.

“The… figurines strike me as interesting source material for paintings,” he said. “They seem culturally confusing and distanced from this historical moment. While the viewer will undoubtedly find his or her owns association with these figures, those connections will not be as easily linked to popular culture, as is the case with a typical mass-produced toy.”

Godeke grew up in northern California and received a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Yale College in New Haven, Ct., and a master of fine arts in painting from State University of New York-Stony Brook. He currently is an associate professor of drawing and desing at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.

Located in Bensen Hall room 212 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.

All activities in the Talley Gallery are supported by funds from Bemidji State University’s Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee.

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

Links
• Talley Gallery
• Jason Godeke