Author: Grace Lucas
As the Pitt’s University Art Gallery (UAG) closes its doors before a major renovation, Director and Curator Sylvia Rhor Samaniego hopes to close this nearly 100-year-long chapter with one final event: Nothing to See Here.
A play on words, the after-hour party takes place on Thursday April 16th, featuring a one-night-only exhibit. In the gallery’s historic Rotunda, seven of Pittsburgh's spray-can and graffiti artists have been chosen to paint the walls, creating a colorful, electric atmosphere. Matt Spar, Cara Rose, Atiya Jones, Pyset/Canek, Max GEMS Gonzales, Spell4, and Husk all came together to leave their mark on the Rotunda. Since the canvas for graffiti is often existing structures, figuring out how to safely paint the Rotunda with the city's most exciting graffiti writers was no easy feat. Dr. Rhor, with the help of artist and curator Max Gonzales, spent countless hours figuring out how to preserve the room, give the artist the space they need, and properly ventilate. However, both were clearly up for the challenge. Chosen by Gonzales, some of these artists wish to remain anonymous. I was fortunate to sit down and talk with Husk, who had been tagging and doing piecework since he was 11.
Husk is Pittsburgh-born and raised, growing up in Polish Hill and Lawrenceville. Graffiti, tagging, and piecework have meant a lot to Husk throughout his life. He’s stepped in and out of the graffiti world, and yet something keeps drawing him back. After some personal issues, Husk is making it his mission to paint for himself, paint what he wants, and when he wants. Typically, a harsh critic of his work, he walked away from this project happy. Husk was proud of the piece and loved the process. Working outside his comfort zone with water-based paints, Husk’s letters resemble Roman columns (a traditional style of his, which also doubles as an homage to the rotunda). He ended up doing a light outline and a fill that gives the illusion of depth. He wants people to walk away with an appreciation for the work, for its quality, and for his effort. Gonzales' choices were extremely purposeful, as they occupy a unique position between the graffiti world, the muralist world, the academic world, the skateboarding world, and more. With all the artists he chose, they wanted to make a statement. Not only do they want the artist to understand that their work belongs in galleries, but they also want observers to understand and appreciate the work. Gonzales chose artists from diverse walks of life, including Pitt grads, openly gay writers, Mexican-American artists, and more.
It’s safe to say this exhibition is something that the Frick Fine Arts Building has never seen before, which is the point Rhor is trying to make. Rhor wants to tie the ribbon on the last chapter while simultaneously starting a new chapter on Thursday night. In this new chapter, she wants to “change the energy” of the UAG. Stepping away from the stuffy, classic idea of an art gallery, Rhor hopes this new chapter will reignite community involvement. In this new era, the gallery will embrace messiness and imperfections.
Be sure to stop by the Nothing to See Here party on Thursday, April 16th, from 8-11 pm. This is the only chance you will have to see the Rotunda spray painted before it closes its doors!
Grace Lucas is a junior at the University of PIttsburgh studying communications, political science, and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies. Grace has a passion for both art and writing, exercising this passion through her internship with Hemispheric Conversations: Urban Art Project (HCUAP).