SURFACE TREATMENT: Writing In Tongues

“Writing in Tongues” displays six beautifully stitched collaged diaphanous panels by Linda Lewis. This exhibit is currently being shown at UTPA’s University Gallery.

The works in the show reflect Lewis’s interest in the history of ideas and the development of ideological systems. She is motivated by collisions of different ideological systems and their transformations into new systems of thought. Also reflecting upon the often-difficult social negotiations that we all go through, she has expressed this frustration by breaking down words and letters, depicting a process of communication disintegration. Although the artworks look fragile, they have reached this state through the artist’s rather harsh destructive process.

The work, Beauty Marks, uses actual pages from the book, “Femininity,” by Susan Brown Miller. The pages were taken apart and machine stitched together end to end to form flat surfaces, then further deconstructed by Lewis. Different marks were stamped onto the surface. Remnants of the original words remain in some works, but the resulting fabric has been transformed, allowing something new to emerge.

“I work with different systems of thought,” explained Lewis. “For instance Zero Turq. is what the letter “O” means. It means zero to some people, or zero means life, nothing or everything.

The two large pieces, If you can Read this…., were inspired by visits to Moorish mosques during a trip to Spain. Beautiful Arabic writing was engraved into the stone. Since the Moors were non-grata in Spain, but the art and architecture were, the writing was reproduced as a decorative element. “I was impressed by that,” commented Lewis. “To me it was the act of taking something and transposing it into what you like about it.”

After that experience, she decided to create her own text, then counterpoised that against text found on the Internet that stated “if you can read this I can prove the existence of God.” Her twist on this was that once you disintegrate it, you can’t read it. “You can’t read his text because it’s disintegrated. And you can’t read my text because it doesn’t mean anything,” she said.

The works, 1851- and 1852+, represent the positives and negatives of the 1851 U.S. government’s treaty with the Sioux. A related piece based on the subsequent 1868 treaty hangs in the Art House. The first pair show Xs, while the latter shows Os. The 1868 Treaty obliterated the previous Sioux treaty. The Xs represent the signatures that the Sioux were asked to make; the O represents the empty meaning.

The University Gallery has no public hours this fall. However, the works are easily viewed through the glass walls. Three works from this series are currently on display at the Art House in McAllen. Those pieces are displayed allowing the lacy structure to reflect against the wall; air currents encourage movement and provide an additional dimension to the viewing experience.

Writing in Tongues
What: Solo exhibition by Linda Lewis
Where: University Gallery, COAS Building, UTPA
When: until October 30 by appointment
Info: UTPA art Department 956 381 3480

Nancy Moyer, Professor Emerita of Art, UTPA, is an art critic for The Monitor. She may be reached at nmoyer@rgv.rr.com