Whether it is the pop art of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, a modern Kiki Smith canvas sheet or a visiting photography exhibit from Dor Guez, the Rose Art Museum has distinguished itself as a premier emblem of what a modern museum should be. Following a successful fall semester, this spring offers the introduction of three new exhibitions, all of which will premiere at the Opening Reception on Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.

Walead Beshty: "Parallel Exhibitions of Post-War Non-Figurative Art from the Collection" and "Untitled":
In collaboration with Rose Director Chris Bedford, artist Walead Beshty will have two exhibits on display in the Sandra Fineberg Gallery: "On the Matter of Abstraction (figs. A & B): Parallel Exhibitions of Post-War Non-Figurative Art from the Collection" and "Untitled," both of which consist of new acquisitions of abstract art and pieces from the Rose's collection.

Beshty has also brought part of his own work to campus in the form of a mirrored glass floor that appears to crack as visitors walk over it-a unique take on what it means to break from traditional exhibit styles. Beshty is known for his work with photograms, a type of photography where instead of using a camera, objects are placed directly on light-sensitive photographic paper and then exposed to light. The artist accidentally stumbled upon this technique when undeveloped film in his suitcase went through an airport x-ray machine. Beyond the obvious physical effect, Beshty believes the film represents the social and political atmosphere in a post-9/11 world with heightened airport security measures-the photos and world were completely altered.

He has also worked with sculptures: a previous exhibit featured FedEx boxes with a panel of cracked glass on top. Inspired by his interest in shipping companies, Beshty put a piece of glass into the box then shipped it to the exhibition site. Upon arrival, the glass is displayed as a representation of the trials of traveling through space and time like the exposure process of film.

Sam Jury: "Coerced Nature":
According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Sam Jury's work is "psychological, observational and investigative. She is both allusive and innovative." These five adjectives do seem to capture the essence of Jury's photography and videos, yet they also seem to embody a mystical quality that is impossible to describe. The blurred, eerie landscapes and mysterious figured in the foreground create an uneasy feeling, as if suspended in a single moment, knowing little about the past or future.

Born in the United Kingdom, Jury is truly an international artist with past exhibits across the United States, Germany, England, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria and China. In 2002, she set up an art school in the United Arab Emirates in conjunction with London's Royal Academy. This experience in the Middle East heightened Jury's interest in photography but, due to the tense environment of the region, led her to stage shoots for her photographs, instead of waiting to find something naturally. After returning to England, Jury started her work with video.
Her video work consists of choreographed scenes that emphasize the ambiguity of time, identity and motion and the upcoming exhibit will feature several of her works.

The Rose catalogue describes the upcoming exhibit as a representation of "suspended trauma, in particular the fraught relationship between human beings and our environment." The exhibit will be in the Lee Gallery and around campus-some of the videos will be projected on sculptural forms, walls and windows.

Ed Ruscha: "Standard" :
Originating at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Ed Ruscha's exhibit titled "Standard" will be shown in the Foster Gallery. It features various art mediums including film, paintings and print work. As a young artist, many artists in the pop art movement, including Jasper Johns, whose work also hangs in the Rose, influenced Ruscha.

Like other famous pop art, his art is heavily rooted in commercialism as seen in the presence of everyday objects in his work, like a gas station or billboard. The dominance of Hollywood in society also influenced his work, resulting in his adaption of the iconic Paramount Pictures' "Mountains" logo, among others.

On a larger scale, several of Ruscha's first commissioned works were large murals at museums and libraries: At the Miami-Dade Public Library, he painted a series of 50 murals on the rotunda based on a Hamlet quote, "Words without thoughts never to heaven go."
Perhaps more famously, Ruscha also produced prints of paintings that displayed words, often comical, yet making an allusive statement about society, that ranged from words across a sunset horizon to a set of seven works each with a rhyming word. Additionally, he created "liquid work" paintings that appeared as if a liquid was spilled onto the canvas. Later, he used another technique called trompe l'oeil that looked like ribbons of curling paper manipulated into words. In the 1960s, Ruscha produced a surrealism-inspired series that depicted everyday objects in absurd positions, as if hovering over the ground or somehow transformed. In the '70s, Ruscha experimented with alternative materials and used everything from red wine to grass stains to axle grease to blackberry juice on stain-absorbent materials.

As the legacy of his art shows, his work spans many different forms and styles; the original exhibition curated at the Los Angeles Museum featured over 300 pieces of exclusively his work, but the Rose will feature a selection of these, complemented by their own pieces from various other artists.
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