Genius on Display
Genius on Display
Ryann Cooley's Closing Reception of “Collective Individual : Glass Portraits”
OLEAN, NY - Ryann Cooley’s genius reveals itself in his artistic conceptual expression of a single idea.
His exhibit, “collective individual : glass portraits” is a brilliant and masterful expression of an idea that speaks to humanity’s oneness as a “collective” composed of thousands of individuals merged into a singular image, representative of the whole.
It is sheer genius – conceptually and creatively.
A closing reception for the exhibit will be held from 5:00-8:00pm this Saturday, Oct. 24th inside the Tri-County Arts Council, 110 W. State St., Olean, NY. *Due to Covid-19 requirements, the event will be held in groups of eight in half-hour time slots during which you can speak to Cooley and learn more about his masterpieces. Masks are required. Please sign up here. link this to: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/3479290020118/false#/invitation
“It takes 300 rolls of film for nearly 11,000 images,” Cooley, winner of the 2019 Southern Tier Biennial Best of Show, wrote about his process.
His existential photography invites the viewer to experience a profound idea in each composite image portrayed as a glass portrait.
Just for a moment, imagine how many faces your own face includes - those of your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and on down through the ages. As individuals, the collective face of our ancestors is seen. What might an earth face look like, if we were all seen interracially as a singular image? Cooley answers that question in “collective individual : glass portraits.”
“These portraits are created through a merging of several individuals that share common traits. Utilizing this series of portraits challenged me to think of how we perceive ourselves as individuals versus being part of a broader community – in conjunction with the examination of perception - which felt significant to me,” Cooley wrote, adding, “Each portrait represents both the idea of community and individual.”
“Through the merger of two mediums that share a long history – photography and glass – I have fashioned an encounter with the photograph that becomes realized when experienced in person. The unexpected upside-down framing of the image allows for a moment of consideration towards the physicality of the photograph,” he said.
Experiencing the photos “welcomes a dialogue about tensions between collectivist and individualistic cultures and how these mindsets are perceived and reconciled with an individual.”
The “Collective Individual : Glass Portraits” is presented by the Tri-County Arts Council and the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation through the generous sponsorship of the F. Donald Kenney Foundation. Southern Tier Biennial Exhibitions celebrate the vitality and diversity of contemporary art in the Southern Tier region. For more information, please visit www.southerntierbiennial.com/cooley or the Tri-County Arts Council’s website at www.myartscouncil.net or call 716-372-7455.