New Exhibitions at the Akron Art Museum

Frank Oriti, Out of Regs, oil on canvas, 2015. Private collection. © Frank Oriti.

The Akron Art Museum has an exciting lineup of exhibitions for the spring and summer. Beginning April 9, Reflections on Perception opens in the Judith Bear Isroff and Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell galleries. In this exhibition, viewers can explore how artists employ reflection to enhance and complicate their compositions. The works in Reflections on Perceptions show how mirrored surfaces can reflect space, create illusions, and offer views of places not easily observed. The reflections tease the viewer with visual ambiguity that adds mystery, playfulness, and layers of meaning. In addition, the exhibition labels explore the composition, artist, and process behind the works of art. Twenty-four contemporary artists are featured in Reflections on Perceptions, including Dieter Appelt, Matt Bollinger, Linda Butler, Lois Conner, Danielle De Jesus, Walker Evans, Rebecca Ness, Aliza Nisenbaum, Frank Oriti, Penny Rakoff, Erin M. Riley, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, and Billie Zangewa. Reflections on Perceptions will be on view through September 11.

On June 1, Good Hope opens in the museum’s David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery and Rory and Dedee O’Neil Lobby. The exhibition inspires viewers with work highlighting the experiences of the artists of Studio Muti, an illustration group based in Cape Town, South Africa. The word muti is a Zulu word for medicine, and the studio’s approach is to use imagery as a therapy for boredom. Good Hope will bring visitors into a visually-rich space filled with surprises. The show features wall-sized illustrations where exploration is at the center. While the Studio Muti artists represent a broad range of styles and genres, their works are bound by a collective sense of curiosity and humor. Studio Muti’s Good Hope will be on view from June 1, 2022 to May 14, 2023.

Lastly, on July 16, Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows opens in the museum’s Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries. The exhibition is presented by the FRONT International 2022 Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art. Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows will focus on artists who employ materials to create craft-based artwork to cope with and explore relationships between objects and lived experiences. The title is an homage to the 1957 poem “Two Somewhat Different Epigrams” by Langston Hughes. As a meditation on adversity and a prayer for transformation, the poem inspires FRONT 2022’s curatorial approach. In addition, the selection of artists encompasses both local and regional figures as well as national practitioners. Artists include Chakaia Booker, Allana Clarke, Dexter Davis, Theaster Gates, Paul O’Keeffe, Devan Shimoyama, Audra Skuodas, and La Wilson. FRONT at the Akron Art Museum seeks to engage with both local and out-of-town visitors to create a uniquely transformative exhibition experience. Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows will be on view through October 2.