Gallery exhibit gives a fresh eye to artistic expression

There is an eerie air of quietude when entering Elizabeth King’s exhibit, “The Sizes
of Things in the Mind’s Eye,” and not just that of typical gallery reverence. Aside from
the sound of polite whispers and the shuffling feet of weekend visitors to the True F.
Luck Gallery in the newly renovated Visual Arts Center of Richmond, the silence that
saturated the room Saturday was of a different variety.

Walking through “Sizes,” the gallery’s first exhibit, gives the impression of walking
through a toy-maker’s workshop after dark. Body parts are a visual focus of this exhibit,
and one can’t help but sense that, at any moment, there will be an ever-so-slight twitch
of an eye by one of the glass-encased busts.

Ironically, the chances of this occurring are better than one might think. King, who
is also a professor in the sculpture department at VCU, uses motion (and, sometimes,
lack thereof) as an artistic tool.

“Compass” consists of two intricately jointed wooden hands displayed in a top-lit
enclosure. While the construction and positioning of the hands is conventional and
natural, the innovation of this piece lies in its mechanics. The slight rotation of the
left hand is directed by a rod whose motion seems controlled by the push and pull of
rotating, polarized, magnetic rods at the base of the display . to put it simply.

Hand-crafted heads are another signature stand-out of the collection. Each face
seems to have its own individual personality. The meticulous craftsmanship of each
wrinkle in the forehead and the specific placement of the lips show the skill of the
creator. These detached craniums emote a familiar clarity without making the viewer
feel an inundation of expression. The heads’ glass eyes (which are in no short supply
for this show – there are two glass cabinets dedicated to these organs) only augment
their human element.

The back room of the exhibit houses, arguably, the most interesting segment
– stop-frame animation. The live-action pieces, one of which bears the namesake of
the exhibition itself, are each positioned behind rectangular screens. Only when close
enough to peer through the screens is the video viewable, and that’s as long as you
don’t deviate too far from your original viewing position.

“Portrait” is an eye-catcher, with its tapered accordion-shaped body that hearkens
back to old-fashioned cameras, and the contemporary expression housed inside creates
a delicious contrast.

The final room (or first, depending on which way you turn when you first enter), has
a few nice touches that wrap up the whole experience. The entire back wall consists of
large display cases full of objects from the artist’s studio. The objects range from a number
of King’s pieces and plaster-body casts to antique-looking figurines. Also, a glimpse into
the creative development is available as the exhibit has three television screens showing
looped video of the process of creating a stop-action finished product.

The collection in “The Sizes of Things in the Mind’s Eye” spans almost 30 years of
artistic output, and the show’s diversity serves as a testament. From stop-animation to
King’s interpretation of the human body – in parts and as a whole, the objects in this
show demand closer inspection, a second look. This exhibition is evidence of some of
the weight behind VCU’s nationally ranked sculpture program.

The Visual Arts Center of Richmond is located at 1812 W. Main St. “The Sizes of
Things in the Mind’s Eye” will run at this location through Feb. 17.