There is a new art exhibition currently open on Drexel University’s campus. Located in the URBN Annex, across the street from the Urban Eatery, is Drexel’s Pearlstein Gallery, which hosts a wide range of exhibitions and shows throughout the year. This spring, from now until May 22, the gallery is hosting a new exhibition, titled “CONTEMPORARY RUIN future visions.”
The show highlights work from a collection of both local artists and Drexel students, and was curated by Philadelphia artist Nancy Agati. As the title of the exhibition suggests, the work explores the idea of ancient ruins, but in a very modern and very local sense. For example, people love to look at and admire the ruins of Ancient Rome or Greece, but overlook that a very similar, yet far less glamorous phenomenon is happening right under their noses. This is especially prevalent in a city like Philadelphia, which is experiencing its own sort of ruin. Of course, this does not get nearly the attention and appreciation that the aforementioned landmarks do, and is rarely celebrated as an artistic wonder, until now.
The pieces featured in this exhibition aim to do just that: show just how beautiful ruin can be, but also show a path forward. This is done through a range of traditional paintings, to porcelain arrangements, to an all-out architectural prototype, constructed of plywood and actual plants. Some are easy to make out, and the message is clear from just a glance. Other pieces, however, take some more time to digest simply due to their complexity.
Despite the difference in mediums, as well as their complexity, all of the work has a very united theme, and a goal to depict what ruin looks like in this day and age. As the pieces in the exhibition reveal, it is unfortunately pretty familiar, and nothing out of the ordinary. Some of the artistic work presented is just someone’s view from outside of their home, or an expected sight on their commute to work or school. While parts like this can get a little uncomfortable, as the truth often is, the exhibition makes it a point to say that there is a way out, and a positive future in sight. So, after getting some lunch at the Urban Eatery, grab a to-go box and take a walk across the street to the Gallery, it surely will not be a waste of time.