This review was written by a TeenTix KC teen who is learning about arts journalism through the Press Corps, which provides teens with training and tools to respond to their arts experiences. TeenTix KC seeks to engage teens in the arts and amplify their voices. This may be the first time this teen has publicly expressed their opinion about an arts experience. Thank you for reading and supporting this teen’s development as an arts journalist.
What is the story of our land? The people that lived on it, the people that cared for it, the ones who hunted and birthed and died on the land. It is our job to remember and honor these people who came before us and it is our job to care for the land now. This is what the art exhibit Shimmer on Horizons reminds us. Andrea Carlson, an artist of Ojibwe and European descent, was born and raised in Minnesota, where she draws much of her inspiration. She now lives in Chicago and has had exhibits in various places across the country. Andrea Carlson’s exhibit Shimmer on Horizons, which will continue through February 15th at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, explores concepts of nature, colonization and Native American culture. Her work is striking and captivating. The unique qualities and subjects of her style invites introspection in viewers.
Carlsons’s art is beautiful; there is a boldness and strength to her work. She often uses distinct shapes and solid colors somewhat reminiscent of pop art. The incorporation of various objects, which sometimes feel discordant come together to create a collage-like appearance. She works on a large scale. When looking at one of her pieces, the horizon seems to spread out around the observer forever. What makes the sizes of her work so interesting, though, is that they are not done on one large canvas. Her works are broken up into smaller pieces that come together to create the image. She talks about how even though her work is on a very large scale, she likes to be able to break it down and hold it. The action of being able to hold her own work gives a type of intimacy. When looking at Carlson’s art, you can see very clear elements that she incorporates into the image. There is a narrative; her work tells a story. Carlson’s art is not simply decoration, but it says something, and it invites the viewer to listen.
Her paintings are about the stories of the indigenous peoples of America. Through her work she asks us to remember those who lived on the land before us, the violence that was done to them and the respect the land deserves. Her paintings often incorporate large sweeping landscapes, water and mounds built by indigenous tribes. She grew up spending time by Lake Superior, which holds 10% of the world’s fresh water. Connection to nature is a part of being human.
“You can kind of feel where the lake is,” Carlson said.
Our environment is so important to our everyday lives, something that we may not think about everyday but it impacts us every second of our lives. In the art talk she did at the beginning of her exhibit Carlson explains that our land and environment affect our moods, actions and how we live.
“It’s built into our bodies,” Carlson said.
It only makes sense that this land, which is so important, would be the primary setting for her work. Over these landscapes, she layers other elements. Sometimes words, sometimes references to Italian horror films. She also brings subjects of violence into her work, violence that Native Americans were accused of and violence that was done to them. One of my favorite elements is in many of her paintings; incorporation of the mound shapes that were so sacred to the Native Americans.
I had the privilege seeing Carlson’s work at the Kemper for free and it was well worth the trip. Being originally from the upper Midwest myself and growing up by the Great Lakes, there was a familiarity to her work that made me smile. There is nothing quite like experiencing the quiet, understated beauty of the mounds and I love that Carlson incorporates them into her work. If you have a chance to get to see her exhibit, take it. It’s not a long experience, but it is a worthwhile one for sure.
Reviewed by TeenTix KC Press Corps member Miriam Lee
TeenTix KC is a KC Studio initiative building a brighter future for our region by empowering young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons and leaders. Any 13-19 year-old can become a TeenTix KC member by downloading a free pass which enables them to buy $5 tickets to participating arts venues across metro KC. Teens are encouraged to become critics and influencers by writing reviews and creating reels about the arts they experience using their TeenTix KC passes.
