Amarillo Museum of Art shares 'Fantastic Visions' with new, surreal exhibit

The Amarillo Museum of Art (AMoA) is showcasing its new exhibit, "Fantastic Visions: Surreal and Constructed Images," available for viewing now until Sept. 4.

The exhibit is a collection of 45 pieces from several different collections, showcasing the work of artists and photographers who embrace the surreal and challenge reality through creatively constructed images and unique perspectives.

"Surrealism is these kind of despaired images, images that you wouldn't necessarily put together. The idea of the images being odd or off or strange fits the title of the exhibit 'Fantastic Visions' and adds to the sort of fantasy world aspect," said Alex Gregory, Curator of Art for AMoA.

The collection features photography surrealism among other mediums, including artists such as Shana and Robert Parke Harrison, Israeli artist Michal Rovner, Dutch photographer Teun Hocks, and photographs from Vik Muniz’s series’ "Pictures of Junk and Pictures of Chocolate." Other contemporary artists featured in the exhibit include Matthew Brandt, Nick Simpson, German photographer Elger Esser, and Russian-born American artists Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovinj.

"They are intriguing and they make you think, because you have never seen anything like that before, you don't know how it was made or what the situation that you are observing is, and having that kind of mystery in the image, I think automatically makes you contemplate what you are looking at in a deeper way," Gregory said.

According to Colby Currie, Curator of Education at AMoA, the exhibit focuses on the idea or theme of creating a dreamlike experience for the viewer. Currie said he was particularly drawn to a piece by Meghann Riepenhoff, titled "Ecotone #348." The piece was created by Riepenhoff through photo emulsion after taking the photo and laying it across a pipe outside while raining, which led to distinct streaks and imagery on the photo.

"She takes a paper with photo emulsion, and when it reacts with water and light, it creates this really cool 3-D effect," Currie said. "This piece in particular I believe she laid across a pipe in the rain and allowed the raindrops to create the imagery."

"Most of the pieces have some sort of symbolism or narrative or (absurdity) ... some of them just have this feeling of, 'Why is this going on?' 'What is happening in this picture?' that is almost comical," Currie said.

The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to is free and open to the public.

For more on the Amarillo Museum of Art and the "Fantastic Visions" exhibit, visit https://www.amoa.org/fantastic-visions .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Museum of Art shares 'Fantastic Visions' in new exhibit