The Sarah Moody Gallery of Art presents Excavations: The Prints of Julie Mehretu
, January 24 – March 8, 2019.
Artist Julie Mehretu is best known for her densely layered abstract paintings and prints. She has achieved international acclaim for her large-scale paintings that take the abstract energy, topography, and sensibility of global urban landscapes as a source of inspiration. Commenting on her work Mehretu asserts, “By combining many types of architectural plans and drawings I tried to create a metaphoric, tectonic view of structural history. I wanted to bring my drawing into time and place.” Her monumental works integrate layered, complex drawing and mark-making, and include detailed references, building plans, and drawn components of known historic public architectural sites such as stadiums and notable government buildings. Mehretu has maintained a practice in the medium of printmaking throughout her career, most frequently experimenting with etching. Printmaking has allowed her to work with world-class ateliers such as Gemini Press, Crown Point Press and Highpoint Editions. Born in Ethiopia, her family fled the country and settled in East Lansing, Michigan, where Mehretu completed high school and college. She received her MFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Art and Design. Her work is featured in internationally acclaimed public and private art collections. Among her many achievements and awards, she is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship. This exhibition was organized for travel by Highpoint Editions, Minneapolis.
Image credit: Julie Mehretu, Entropia (review), 2004, lithograph and screenprint 29 x 40 inches. Excavations: the Prints of Julie Mehretu is organized by Highpoint Editions, Minneapolis.
The Sarah Moody Gallery of Art is supported by The University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Art and Art History. For further information, contact the gallery at 348-1891 or go to our website: https://art.ua.edu/gallery/smga/.
Garland Hall is a five-minute walk from the Campus Drive Parking Deck and Bus Hub on Hackberry Lane. Information about visitor parking is available here: http://bamaparking.ua.edu/visitor-information/.
For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/.