Last Friday, Sept. 6, an opening reception was held at the Villanova University Art Gallery for a brand-new exhibition. Made by Los Angeles-based new media artist Nancy Baker Cahill, the exhibition has traveled from the Georgia Museum of Art to be on campus this semester. According to Villanova’s website, Cahill’s aim was to redefine “the possibilities of drawing in contemporary art” and to reconsider “the art historical canon in the face of emerging technologies.”
Titled “Through Lines,” the art depicts Cahill’s exploration of materiality and immateriality, taking up space through all kinds of mediums. Cahill’s artwork takes on a cyclical nature throughout the exhibit, as described by gallery director Jennie Castillo. Cahill started with drawings and, after being told by a professor to never throw away her work, started ripping old pieces apart, using the bits of paper to create beautiful 3-D sculptures on the walls of the gallery. One original drawing on display at the exhibition depicts sweeping movements in graphite on paper. But that is not all, because Cahill also uploads hundreds of pictures of her artwork into a software system that digitally renders videos to make the pieces move. According to Cahill, this process is called “photogrammetry,” a technique that originated in the 1850s, though the methods she uses today are much more advanced.
The idea of three different perspectives of the same pieces that traverse multiple dimensions is fascinating, but Cahill took her exhibit a step further. She has stills from the photogrammetry videos printed in vibrant color, taking the cycle of her art back into 2-D and completing the story. All of these parts come together to create an exhibition that is awe-inspiring and wildly unique.
“[The exhibition] traces through a lot of work and my practice,” Cahill said of choosing the name “Through Lines” for the gallery.”[The exhibition follows] the role of line and the role of drawing.”
She also included a theme of technology, with mediums spanning from graphite to an augmented reality app, a feature that allows people to see her artwork move through their phone camera as well as in the exhibit.
Additionally, every sculpture Cahill crafts is unique. Each is spontaneously built on the spot, stemming from an initial idea or concept. For the installation at Villanova, Cahill was channeling a hurricane-type energy.
“[The sculptures] defy characterization,” Cahill said. “Some people see feathers or leaves; I don’t mind leaving it up for interpretation.”
This exhibition is with Villanova until January, but Cahill has many additional projects happening around her homebase in LA that are worth looking out for.
“Because I work in film, I’ve been thinking a lot about caves and cave paintings,” Cahill said. “A lot of scholars think they are pre-cinematic and primitive, but they really were very cinematic.”
She discussed recent work she did with LED screens, attempting to honor cave paintings through a contemporary lens. It is clear, through every project Cahill discussed at the opening, including “Through Lines,” that she takes themes traditionally considered “simple” into careful consideration, making something wonderfully complex out of them.
The final part of Cahill’s exhibition here on campus takes viewers out of the gallery, where her app shows a swirling depiction of her digital art above the Oreo. By bringing her work into a central part of campus, Cahill demonstrates the different ways art can be experienced. The exhibition is a fascinating timeline of the past, present and future of her work.
The exhibition will be housed in the Art Gallery on the second floor of the Connelly Center until Jan. 17, 2025. The hours for the gallery are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
