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Six ways I + Thou explores identity and relationships at the Dunedin Fine Art Center

I + Thou may seem like an unnecessarily old-fashioned title for an art exhibit, and I suppose it is, but there’s good reason for this. I and Thou is a translation of the German Ich und Du, the title of Martin Buber’s 1923 philosophy text. So the translation is a little old — in modern, American English, you’d simply say, “You and I.”

As the title suggests, this exhibit is all about our sense of identity and our relationships to others. Buber thought that people can form two kinds of relationships: I-it relationships and I-thou/you relationships. In the former, people are often viewed as things to be approached with caution or reservations. In the latter, I-you relationships, people are treated like, well, people. I-you relationships are characterized by openness and honesty, leading to a higher level of sharing between individuals and the world around them. One can even form an I-you relationship with art, according to Buber.

As I walk through the Dunedin Fine Art Center’s Entel Family Gallery, it is these I-you connections that I strive for. With each work of art, I try to see what the artist saw and feel what the artist felt. I keep myself open to the six artists who have displayed their work upon these walls. Each of them is so different.

Click through the gallery to see artwork from each of these artists.

Dunedin Fine Art Center’s Curator of Exhibitions, Catherine Bergmann, did an amazing job pulling this show together. The theme “I and Thou” means different things to different people, and that’s part of the fun. The variety of interpretations led to an interesting assortment of artwork that is truly a pleasure to see. It’s not just the artwork that I love here — it’s also the things it makes me think about. 

Scroll down to view images
'I + Thou' gallery.
Ken Hannon, via the Dunedin Fine Art Center
'I + Thou' gallery.
"All the hopes and dreams" by Mason Gehring. Mason Gehring introduces herself through a series of self-portraits, each characterized by broad brush strokes, expressive eyes, and masks of white house paint. I see her daydreaming in “All the Hopes and Dreams,” then staring right at me in “Hard Look.” And though these paintings aren’t the least bit photorealistic, I can see and feel the real woman behind them. She is I, and I am Thou.
Jennifer Ring
"All the hopes and dreams" by Mason Gehring. Mason Gehring introduces herself through a series of self-portraits, each characterized by broad brush strokes, expressive eyes, and masks of white house paint. I see her daydreaming in “All the Hopes and Dreams,” then staring right at me in “Hard Look.” And though these paintings aren’t the least bit photorealistic, I can see and feel the real woman behind them. She is I, and I am Thou.
"Story Arc" by Shannon Leah Halvorsen — scratched copper leaf and oil on linen. Shannon Leah Halverson’s 'Literary Fiction' series (on display here) depicts faces and flora, creating a fictional fantasy world with “Antagonist,” “Protagonist,” “Inner Conflict,” “Story Arc,” and “Transition.” It is about you and I and our stories, and how we choose to tell them. Each element of storytelling is given its own canvas, upon which Halverson paints and etches her tale in copper or gold leaf. The artist chose to focus on her relationship with her chosen media for 'I + Thou', allowing the copper and gold leaf to behave in a way that is natural to it. “I allowed the canvas and the leaf to tell me who it was, instead of coercing it to be what I wanted it to be,” she says. “Scratching through the metal leaf allowed me to be who I am — an etcher...” In this case, the artist is I, and the canvas and metal leaf are Thou.
Courtesy of the Dunedin Fine Art Center
"Story Arc" by Shannon Leah Halvorsen — scratched copper leaf and oil on linen. Shannon Leah Halverson’s 'Literary Fiction' series (on display here) depicts faces and flora, creating a fictional fantasy world with “Antagonist,” “Protagonist,” “Inner Conflict,” “Story Arc,” and “Transition.” It is about you and I and our stories, and how we choose to tell them. Each element of storytelling is given its own canvas, upon which Halverson paints and etches her tale in copper or gold leaf. The artist chose to focus on her relationship with her chosen media for 'I + Thou', allowing the copper and gold leaf to behave in a way that is natural to it. “I allowed the canvas and the leaf to tell me who it was, instead of coercing it to be what I wanted it to be,” she says. “Scratching through the metal leaf allowed me to be who I am — an etcher...” In this case, the artist is I, and the canvas and metal leaf are Thou.
Stephen Schatz, ceramic sculpture. Stephen Schatz’s ceramics remind me of the creepy gargoyles that come to life in 'Ghostbusters'. They’re a little weird and loosely formed, as though some nightmarish monster were suddenly rising out of the clay earth, not yet fully developed. “Who are you?” looks a bit like Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head in 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone'. The more serious nature of the piece reflects the different faces we show the world and how they don’t always agree with our true identities. Schatz’s sculptures speak well to the show’s theme, each exploring a different personality trait or aspect of identity. Many, like the “Multitasker,” with its four hands, are quite surreal. Most of these aren’t what I would call conventionally beautiful, but they are all expressive, and not one is boring.
Courtesy of the Dunedin Fine Art Center
Stephen Schatz, ceramic sculpture. Stephen Schatz’s ceramics remind me of the creepy gargoyles that come to life in 'Ghostbusters'. They’re a little weird and loosely formed, as though some nightmarish monster were suddenly rising out of the clay earth, not yet fully developed. “Who are you?” looks a bit like Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head in 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone'. The more serious nature of the piece reflects the different faces we show the world and how they don’t always agree with our true identities. Schatz’s sculptures speak well to the show’s theme, each exploring a different personality trait or aspect of identity. Many, like the “Multitasker,” with its four hands, are quite surreal. Most of these aren’t what I would call conventionally beautiful, but they are all expressive, and not one is boring.
Baxter Koziol's "Actors". While we’re on the subject of creepy artwork, is it just me or do Baxter Koziol’s “Actors” look like a bunch of voodoo dolls? Just don’t stick a pin in them, OK? Seriously. Some of these things look like what would happen if you blew up a normal doll, then stitched all the pieces back together with the organs on the outside. Even though it’s definitely more than a little weird, I enjoy seeing stuff like this in art galleries. Sometimes, I worry about the artist, though. Is everything OK at home, Baxter? (Just kidding.) If there is indeed a voodoo reference here, “Actors” is about our personal relationships with spirits.
Jennifer Ring
Baxter Koziol's "Actors". While we’re on the subject of creepy artwork, is it just me or do Baxter Koziol’s “Actors” look like a bunch of voodoo dolls? Just don’t stick a pin in them, OK? Seriously. Some of these things look like what would happen if you blew up a normal doll, then stitched all the pieces back together with the organs on the outside. Even though it’s definitely more than a little weird, I enjoy seeing stuff like this in art galleries. Sometimes, I worry about the artist, though. Is everything OK at home, Baxter? (Just kidding.) If there is indeed a voodoo reference here, “Actors” is about our personal relationships with spirits.
This is just a small portion of a Kenny Jenson mixed-media installation at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. Kenny Jenson’s mixed-media installations use branches and roots gathered near Jenson’s home in Gulf Hammock, Florida. These works explore our relationship with nature, one of Jenson’s greatest loves. Jenson paints the branches with bright colors and arranges them in unnatural patterns with floral wire. His work is a fascinating contradiction, where a love of nature intersects with a love of man-made creation. It both intrigues me and forces me to reflect upon my own relationship with nature.
Jennifer Ring
This is just a small portion of a Kenny Jenson mixed-media installation at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. Kenny Jenson’s mixed-media installations use branches and roots gathered near Jenson’s home in Gulf Hammock, Florida. These works explore our relationship with nature, one of Jenson’s greatest loves. Jenson paints the branches with bright colors and arranges them in unnatural patterns with floral wire. His work is a fascinating contradiction, where a love of nature intersects with a love of man-made creation. It both intrigues me and forces me to reflect upon my own relationship with nature.
"Isa" — stone and wood sculpture by Jane Jaskevich. Jane Jaskevich’s sculptures are what true craftsmanship looks like. From a single glance at one of her works, it is apparent that Jaskevich likes to work with her hands. Her wood and stone sculptures conjure up a woman whose days are spent chiseling, carving, and sanding. The wood is always cypress, but the stone could be agate, limestone, sodalite, alabaster, calcite, marble, or soapstone. Jaskevich has five sculptures in this show — each takes the form of a woman, in classical Greco-Roman style, with modern flair.
Jennifer Ring
"Isa" — stone and wood sculpture by Jane Jaskevich. Jane Jaskevich’s sculptures are what true craftsmanship looks like. From a single glance at one of her works, it is apparent that Jaskevich likes to work with her hands. Her wood and stone sculptures conjure up a woman whose days are spent chiseling, carving, and sanding. The wood is always cypress, but the stone could be agate, limestone, sodalite, alabaster, calcite, marble, or soapstone. Jaskevich has five sculptures in this show — each takes the form of a woman, in classical Greco-Roman style, with modern flair.

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