An exhibit that consists of the artwork of two Saint Xavier students is on display in the Bishop Quarter room, located in the SXU library. The exhibit is called “DEATHY: Somber & Silly Illustrations About the End” and features the work of sophomore art majors Erin Kelly and Chris Thach.
There are over a dozen art pieces in the exhibit that were created by the two sophomore art majors. Thach produced digital art pieces for the exhibit while Kelly created canvas paintings.
The students found out about the opportunity to display their art in the library when associate professor of art and design, Nathan Peck, asked them to come up with a theme together and prepare pieces for a fall art exhibit.
For Thach, the opportunity to present his art to the SXU community came as somewhat of a surprise. “For this Exhibition, I want people to come and realize that a lot can happen if you get involved with the school, your professors and each other. If I was asked last year [if] I’d be showcasing my art at school or elsewhere beyond that of a classroom setting, I’d have laughed. Now, here I am and I wonder what the next exhibition will entail,” said Thach.
Kelly explained that it means a lot for her to have her art displayed in an exhibit in the SXU library. She is especially excited that she is able to showcase her work alongside Thach’s pieces.
“I was so embarrassed at first, but then I was really excited. I get to have anyone look at it and my friends come to me and tell me they saw it and it really makes me proud. Especially since I’m in there with Chris; his stuff is so amazing. I’m glad to be in the same room as him,” said Kelly.
Kelly and Thach made the decision to name their exhibit “DEATHY: Somber & Silly Illustrations About the End” based on shared topics found in their artwork, as well as the timeliness of the theme.
“Both Erin and myself coincidentally illustrated artworks that had something to do with death or mortality so we decided to do a collaboration and came up with the idea of death as our theme and since the show would be up in October for Halloween, it seemed appropriate,” said Thach.
Thach explained that the works of art that he showcased in the exhibit took several hours each to complete. He created some of the pieces for his art classes, while other pieces were created for his portfolio or just for fun.
In an interview over email, Thach discussed the piece that he is most proud of which is entitled “Into the Abyss.” “It is the showcase image on the posters for the Exhibition you see around campus. It depicts an officer of the British Expeditionary Force leading his men desperately into battle and death which is represented by the dark and inky shroud of apparitions of the dead challenging them to come and fall into the abyss. This piece represents a concept called “Forlorn Hope”.
A forlorn hope is when a band of soldiers choose to spearhead an assault or lead a military action where death and massive causalities is an absolute,” said Thach. The pieces created by Kelly were not made for any of her art classes. She originally created three paintings that dealt with the theme of death or mortality and then she produced the other pieces for the purpose of the exhibit.
Kelly explained that her paintings were meant to be simple, so all of the pieces took her a total of about three months to complete. Kelly said that her favorite piece is a painting called “Poisoned Ivy.”
“I love the contrast between the green and the white. I tried earlier on a project to make a person choking on leaves, but it didn’t turn out right. So I really impressed myself when I redid it in a painting,” said Kelly.
The DEATHY exhibit will remain in the Bishop Quarter room for the rest of October and can be viewed during regular library hours. Kelly encourages students to stop by and take a look at the artwork to get into the Halloween spirit.
“Tis the season, with Halloween right around the corner, stop by and reflect on your inner and outer demons,” said Kelly.
Yasmeen Abdellatif
News Editor
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