Student exhibition explores nothingness in art

Much to do about nothing
Student exhibition explores nothingness in art

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News staff

For the new multimedia student exhibition opening Feb. 18, student curator Erin Rouse, a Wiess College junior, teamed up with John Sparagana, professor of visual and dramatic arts, to explore the concept of nothingness in art. The exhibition will be on view until March 5 in the Rice University Media Center.

Rouse has also organized a lecture series to complement the exhibition and shed more light on the ideas presented in it. 

Gordon Hughes, assistant professor of art history, will present a lecture about the French artist Robert Delaunay Feb. 26; Religious Studies graduate student Claire Villareal will discuss Tom Friedman’s “1000 Hours of Staring” and Buddhism March 12; and Charles Dove, lecturer in visual and dramatic arts, will talk about film history March 17. Times and locations of the lectures are to be announced.
 
In her own words below, Rouse discusses how she chose her topic, what the show means to her, and her experience as a curator.

What inspired you to explore the topic of nothingness for this exhibition?

I saw a fantastic show in Frankfurt about three years ago called “Nichts.” It was a collection of contemporary works, which all incorporated the idea of “nothing.” There was all of this amazing work from Robert Barry, Spencer Finch, Tom Friedman, Luc Tuymans, Stefan Bruggeman and perhaps a dozen others. The work ranged from playful and kind of magical to much more serious. The show worked on an aesthetic level but then begged a lot of rather difficult questions of its viewer.

There is also this incredibly rich history of “nothing” in art. Robert Rauschenberg made his “White Paintings” in the early 1950s, which totally emptied out the picture plane. John Cage, who had taught Rauschenberg, saw the pieces and was inspired to compose his famous “4’33”.” Toward the end of his career, Ad Reinhardt made a series of 5-by-5-foot black paintings. He defined these works very much in the negative: “not large, not small,” “no composition,” “formless, no top, no bottom, directionless.” But I’m really just barely scratching the surface here of the history of nothing in 20th-century art. Then there is all of this contemporary work that incorporates nothingness, either as a conceptual or a formal element. The idea makes for tremendously rich subject matter.

I carried these ideas around with me for a few years and talked to John Sparagana about them last semester. He really encouraged me to bring what I’d seen to campus. At the end of last semester I talked to the VADA (Visual and Dramatic Arts) chair, Brian Huberman, and got the go-ahead to do “NADA.” The theme of the show is nothing — nothing defined as negation, emptiness, absence, lack, silence, blankness, zero.

What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to curate an exhibition with a professional like Sparagana?

I really respect John and admire his work, so it’s been a great experience to work with him. John is incredibly knowledgeable and has a very keen aesthetic, while at the same he is receptive to a variety of ideas and art-making practices.

At Rice, a motivated student can curate. Our Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts is certainly open to student initiatives. Everyone has been very supportive and encouraging. All members of the VADA faculty and staff have been tremendously helpful.

Has putting together this exhibition at Rice impacted your career plans at all?
 
I think that ideally I’d like to work as a studio artist. But I’m also very interested in the more academic aspects of the art field. For now I think that I’ll just stay in school.

Rice is providing a rigorous academic experience, which has been very productive for my studio practice. I transferred into Rice after studying at the Corcoran (College of Arts + Design). While the experience is certainly different, I think it is a very good fit for someone with my kind of sensibilities. Things here have a more academic leaning.