Examining the artistic effects of globalization

January 12, 11:15 PMSeattle Newcomer ExaminerShiwani Srivastava

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Seattle Newcomer Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Billboardamatic // (c) Donald Fels

I've seen some art exhibits in New York that completely blew my mind.  From world-class museums to cutting-edge galleries, you could spend a lifetime exploring all the art the city has to offer.

It's not everyday you stumble on a show that pushes your boundaries and challenges your worldview.  I was pleasantly surprised to find one at the Tacoma Art Museum called, "What Is a Trade? Donald Fels and Signboard Painters of South India."

Donald Fels, a local artist, believes that he (and all artists) have a responsibility to search for creative problems to public issues and other complex problems.  In this exhibit, he takes on the effects of globalization - specificially in India.

But this isn't an economics lesson, though you will learn some history.  The show traces the history of global exchange in South India - dating back to Vasco de Gama - to the effects of globalization on artists and artisans in the country today.

Interestingly enough, Fels created the pieces with South Indian billboard painters - craftsmen trained in an artform that once defined the streets of India, but is quickly being replaced by technology and international advertising.  The scale and precision of these signs is something you can only begin to comprehend in person.

The show is on the last leg of its run (it closes on January 18th) so I do hope you get a chance to make it to Tacoma this weekend.  Hey, you could even make a day of it ... seriously.