Unburied Closing Reception, a Reflection

Article by Joshua Williams, Photography by Sophie Swenholt

Last Friday’s event drew quite the crowd at Convergence. Guests from all over the DC area filled the gallery to take in the art of our six talented artists. I had the pleasure of speaking with Kid and Rebecca, the latest additions to the show, both of whom spent some time talking to the audience about their inspiration and creative processes.

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Early in the evening, Marcus Ellison’s film Limbo was featured. An audience gathered to watch silently, completely absorbed in the story. Limbo explores the trials of the creative mind and the struggles faced by artists in daily life.
Around eight, the guests gathered around Kid’s piece, Red Octobr, as he discussed the meaning of his multimedia project. Red Octobr, he explained, emerged from a musical project started by his friends. Kid was excited to contribute to the project, which turned into a combination of music, lyrics, and visual art. Guests discussed the implications and symbolism of the piece, exploring the meaning of the lyrics and their connections to his visual depiction.

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After Kid’s presentation, I took a moment to discuss the project with other contributors, Samuel Ellison and Matthew Bradley. Samuel and Matthew have both participated in gallery exhibits before. Samuel noted that he appreciated how open the exhibit was, and how it shared the hidden feelings of the artists. Matthew mentioned how exciting it was to see all the pieces come together for a live show, and that he was happy for people to experience his work.

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Promptly after Kid’s presentation, we moved down the hall to see Rebecca’s work. She welcomed an intimate conversation about her pieces, all of which draw from her recent health problems, both mental and physiological. Exploring her own spirituality and health lead her to create the deep, expressive collages in Unburied. When I spoke with Rebecca individually, one of the main struggles she mentioned was the cruelty she experienced from outsiders during her darkest moments.
After Rebecca’s talk, the crowd explored the rest of the gallery at their own pace. I spent some time talking to the guests to see what people thought of the show.

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Two guests in particular, Dave and Pavlos, had some interesting observations about the show. Dave told me that he found the contrast of beautiful and ugly images very striking, especially the ironic take on the “Home Sweet Home” motif. The juxtaposition of themes was a very unique feature of the show. Paul had an interesting revelation about the darker side of his friends. It revealed the depth of their creativity. Pavlos also complimented the venue. Having not heard of Convergence before the show, he said he felt very welcomed.

Artists and personal friends of mine Matt and Gwen stopped to talk with me as I observed Donald’s digital painting. Matt commented on the unique interactions between the different artists in the show, exploring thematic similarities in different ways. Gwen found the show very emotional, and noted that one can’t look at the pieces without also seeing the experience.

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As the evening came to a close, Curator and Unburied contributor Isabel Cureux thanked the guests for coming and answered some final questions about her pieces. Finally, I took some time to observe the art myself. I had seen the show many times in passing, but I had yet to stand back and take everything in. I noticed that the different mediums all came together, united by one converging theme: the darkness behind creativity and the artistic struggle.

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