2023-24 Season

Dis/Belief

skeptical realities and the power of interrogating assumptions

Sept. 12 – Oct. 6

Dis/Belief: skeptical realities and the power of interrogating assumptions explores the diverse and complicated ways in which we engage with skepticism and belief in the pursuit of knowledge. Skepticism, at its core, is a mode of questioning and doubt, a demand for evidence and rigorous inquiry. It is a powerful tool for exposing biases and challenging authority for good or for ill. 

The artist’s works of sculpture, video, print, photography, and drawing in Dis/Belief question concepts related to limits and power of knowledge, how truth becomes established, and the impact of fear and worry on our perceptions.

A central tenant of Dis/Belief is the relationship between skepticism and trust. How do we decide who or what to trust, and how is agency given over based on trust? At the same time, Dis/Belief explores the relationship between skepticism and seeking knowledge. How do we determine what we know and what we don’t? What role does subjectivity play? How do we distinguish between fact and fiction? Through their work, the artists invite us to question our assumptions, seek out new knowledge, and to engage with the world in a more skeptical and ultimately more rewarding way.

Associated Programming:

  • Gallery HOP/Opening Reception: Sept. 15, 5 – 8 p.m., Morlan Gallery
  • Artist Talk with Geraldine Ondrizek: Thurs, Oct. 12, 5 – 6 p.m. Carrick Theater a Morlan Gallery and Creative Intelligence Event

The Otherworldly Gaze

Women Redefining Surrealist Art

Oct. 26 – Nov. 21

Through various approaches and materials, the artists in this exhibition create strange yet oddly familiar settings that appeal to our unconscious. Using styles and techniques reminiscent of the Surrealist artists of the early 20th century, they create imagined and fantastical worlds that feature uncanny dreamlike scenes evocative of memory and fantasy, sensation and affect, emotional and physical connections. Their use of saturated colors and undulating patterns often transforms the everyday into the unfamiliar and leads the viewer on an otherworldly journey that elicits both comfort and unease. Much like the dreamscapes and visions of the subconscious created by artists like Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Dorothea Tanning, the works of these contemporary women artists use similar tactics to discuss loneliness and desire, beauty ideals and identity, human and non-human interactions. Despite their varied backgrounds, the artists in this exhibition share similar interests, concerns, and experiences. From an implicitly feminist perspective, their works reclaim the right to bodily autonomy and fluidity. Against a political climate of sexism, transphobia, homophobia, racism and xenophobia, their works reveal fantasies freed from the constraints of oppressive binary rationalisms in order to reimagine surrealism anew. 

Associated Programming

  • Gallery HOP / Closing Reception: 11/17
    • including fluid open mic/poetry reading & game night
  • Sam Simpson Curator Talk: Thursday 11/2, 5:30pm-7:00 in Morlan Gallery

Tropiciele/ Pathfinders

works from the Academy of Fine Art- Krakow

Jan. 16 – Feb. 23

Tropiciele/Pathfinders is a survey of faculty work from the Academy of Fine Art in Krakow, Poland in which 14-20 faculty are presenting works on paper ranging from contemporary applications of traditional media to the integration of technologies like robotic drawing machines.

The title refers to the search and the lack of a single, designated path of artistic exploration. This exhibition will be a collection of different artistic practices, showing contemporary ways of framing artistic problems through works paper. Seemingly nothing unites the areas of artistic expression of individual authors-but it is a testimony to the attitudes of searching for their place in the current reality. 

Associated Programming

  • Gallery HOP / Reception: Jan. 19, 2024
  • Artist Talks / Panel Q+A: Wed. 1/31, 5:30-6:30 in Carrick Theater at Transy
  • Lecture with Gallery: Fri. 2/2, noon in Bolivar Gallery at UK-SAVS

Note – this exhibition is a collaboration between Transy, UKy SA/VA, and Academy of Fine Art in Krakow, Poland. Associated programming will take place both on Transy’s campus as well as at the University of Kentucky.

Juried Student Art Show

Apr. 29 – May 14

Annual Juried exhibition of student artwork. Transylvania of all majors showcase their artistic talent by contributing works in a wide variety of media for this inventive exploration of creativity. 

Associated Programming

  • Exhibition Reception / Awards Announced: May 2, 5 – 7 p.m.
    (awards announced at 6 p.m.)