Reverberating Bodies

A peek into the newest art installation at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery

The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, known on campus as the art gallery or the visual arts building, is a structure that hosts both art classes and exhibitions for students to enjoy. With the pandemic putting a pause on in-person gatherings and experiences, the past few years of exhibits have been online, displayed virtually. But with the return of people on campus, the art gallery has reopened its doors for both classes and displays.

The current display, Reverberating Bodies, features artwork from two artists, Christine Nguyen and Dao Strom. The artwork was curated by Ánh-Hoa Thị Nguyễn . Each artist has their own section of the art gallery, with Nguyen being featured in the West Gallery and Strom being featured in the East Gallery. Each gallery has a very different feel, reflecting the artists’ works and goals with their space.

Curator Thị Nguyễn’s vision for this gallery has shifted multiple times because of the events of the past few years. Thị Nguyễn’s goal was to “respond to ‘the needs of our time’...and shift my vision to a more emotional and spiritual approach. I wanted to create an open and genuine opportunity for our community to engage with art in a cosmic, visceral and healing way.” 

Thị Nguyễn sees many important aspects of Nguyen and Strom’s work. She finds particularly poignant the way Nguyen and Strom challenge the stereotypes of what it means to be a Vietnamese American artist. The artists also find common ground in their art communicating meaning without words and showing how life can be expanded into art. Curator Thị Nguyễn states “Although they have distinct aesthetics that are unique and contrasting, their work is similar in an ‘other worldly’ way.”

One of Nguyen’s works, Cosmic Enchanted Garden, displayed in the West Gallery.

Nguyen’s art “draws upon the imagery of nature, the sciences, and the cosmos”, which can be seen reflected in the work. The artwork utilizes bright colors and uses salt as a way to make it shine under the gallery lights. Each piece is different, yet connected through the techniques used and how it is displayed within the gallery. As a bonus, there is a free coloring sheet created by Nguyen that is based off of their artwork for visitors to take home with them.

One of Strom’s works, April 31st (Fragments), displayed in the East Gallery.

Strom’s works use sound and poetry to “explore themes of displacement, hauntings, mythos, memory, and echo.” When compared side by side with Nguyen’s work, it has a far different feel. It is darker, both to allow projections to be featured on one wall and to focus on the few curated pieces that are displayed on the wall opposite. The projections feature spoken poetry by Strom, along with different visuals to help incorporate the themes the artist felt were important. There is a QR code available to visitors who wish to listen to the entire audio album from which the excerpted poetry is taken. 

Strom is also St. Catherine University’s Amy Marie Sears Visiting Artist for the 21-22 school year. She will be visiting March 13-18th to host workshops for students and to give a public performance of her sung poetry that is featured in the gallery. The reception for this exhibit will take place on March 19th, from 5-7 pm. 

The incredible curation by Thị Nguyễn will be available to visit through March 20th, leaving plenty of time to experience it firsthand.  

To find out more information about the art gallery and both current and upcoming exhibits, visit gallery.stkate.edu.