Food for Thought

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Social justice-themed art abounds in Pizzuti Collection show

If you know artists, it’s not much of a challenge to find one whose work is motivated largely by social issues.

Now, finding almost 40 such artists – that’s a challenge. Fortunately, though, the Pizzuti Collection is well prepared to meet it.

The Short North gallery’s Us Is Them exhibition, which runs through April 2, is entirely dedicated to artists whose work addresses problems they’ve seen in society. It features 60-plus works by 36 artists, with media including sculpture, photography and video.

“The artists confront issues of politics, religion, racism,” says Rebecca Ibel, director and curator of the Pizzuti Collection. “It’s really about issues of social justice in current affairs.”

Artists using their work to bring light to important issues is nothing new. Ibel mentions French painter Edouard Manet and Spanish painter Francisco Goya as a couple of historical examples. But as art becomes more and more accessible, more and more artists are able to get their message out.

“I think even in the title, we’re contributing to a national dialogue on the importance of civil liberties, justice, equality and care about our fellow humans,” Ibel says. “I’m hoping this has a broader appeal.”

The societal ills addressed vary widely depending on each artist’s area of origin, Ibel says. For example, many of the American artists focus on bigotry and racism, particularly as relates to the black community, while African artists focus more on poverty and the legacy of colonialism.

Religion, politics, the environment, economics, solidarity and tolerance are among the other themes explored by art in the show. Even the works by international artists may reverberate with local patrons, as global issues often have some effect on domestic ones.

The exhibition is divided into geographic sections:

-Africa and the Caribbean, primarily focused on the aforementioned legacy of colonialism;

-China, with many works looking at the effect of individual voices in a large society;

-The Middle East, mainly addressing equality and religious freedom; and

-The U.S., largely related to bigotry and intolerance.

The artists also present a mixture in terms of prominence: Some have already achieved widespread renown, some are up-and-coming.

“These are rising stars, and organizing this exhibition, we’re (working) to bring in artists for talks,” says Ibel.

Several of the artists are expected to be scheduled for events at the gallery, and for those who cannot attend, locals who understand the issues covered may speak instead. For example, while it might be difficult to bring in an artist who lives in China, professors from The Ohio State University may address the subject matter instead.

There’s always an effort to ensure Pizzuti Collection shows represent Ohio artists, and this one is no exception, including work by Aminah Robinson and Jonathan Hammer.

Us Is Them opened the gallery’s third season in September, and most of the work in it, as always, is part of the collection of Ron Pizzuti, owner of Columbus-based national real estate firm the Pizzuti Companies. Pizzuti started out collecting 20th-century masters but has, over time, gravitated more toward emerging artists, Ibel says.

That attraction to hot new artists on the scene has made Pizzuti passionate about finding fresh voices, she says.

Though it was the work of black artists that first captured the attention of Pizzuti and Ibel, international issues – such as the shooting deaths of 11 people at French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo this past January – prompted them to search further for the show.

“We expanded it to include artists all over the world, because the concerns are there,” says Ibel.

Artist talks will be posted at www.pizzuticollection.org as they are announced.

Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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