New installation at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art analyzes icons

EUGENE -- (Aug. 15, 2008) -- The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon presents Iconicity, an in-depth look at what constitutes an icon, a new installation in the MacKinnon Gallery.

The term icon, from a Greek word for resemblance or likeness, is commonly used to refer to a broad spectrum of visual representations, ranging from sacred objects that serve as the focus of religious rituals to the folders and other symbols that typically comprise a computer desktop. What these widely disparate usages share is the underlying notion of an image that embodies certain quintessential features which render it immediately and easily recognizable.

Curated by Charles Lachman, the museum's curator of Asian Art, the works included in Iconicity depend upon the premise of easy recognition. Although in most cases recognition is merely a starting point for exploring a variety of other issues such as the commodification of religious imagery, the nature of cultural and political icons, the creation of personal icons and the often blurry line between icon and stereotype.

"As a curator, one of the things I most enjoyed about organizing Iconicity was the opportunity to work with a really diverse range of artists and images, as the show includes art that spans nearly 2,000 years from China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, India, Russia, and the U.S.," Lachman said. "While many, if not most, of the exhibitions in our galleries are devoted to specific geographical regions and historical periods, the thematic approach of Iconicity makes it possible to bring together works of art that would rarely be seen together. And the resulting juxtapositions are exciting both visually and conceptually."

Included in the installation is an untitled oil painting on loan from Yongsoo Huh, by Yue Minjun, one of the most well-known contemporary Chinese artists. Yue Minjun is best known for paintings that depict the artist himself in frozen laughter, a pose that defies easy interpretation. This practice of creating a signature image and then using it repeatedly to the point that it becomes instantly identifiable, is one that has much in common with the way that the cult of personality centered on Chairman Mao was disseminated. In his work, Yue Minjun transforms himself into an icon of contemporary Chinese art.

Also on view are works by iona rozeal brown and Jim Riswold, both of the U.S.; Masami Teraoka, of Japan; Jamini Roy, of India; Chen Long-Bin, of Taiwan; Kang Ik-Joong, of Korea; and Binh Danh, of Vietnam.

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest visual arts center for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, America and elsewhere as well as changing exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Association of Museums.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens and high school students. Free admission is given to ages 13 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Debbie Williamson-Smith, (541) 346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu
Erick Hoffman, (541) 346-3162, erickh@uoregon.edu

Link: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu

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