School of Art and Design to present the ‘Simulacrum’ conceptual art exhibition

The School of Art and Design will present Simulacrum: How to Make Money (While Destroying Photographs), an exhibition of conceptual art made by artist and former School of Art and Design faculty member Ariel C. Wilson. The exhibition is one of the offerings of the Birke Fine Arts Symposium.

The exhibition will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 23 through Feb. 17 in Birke Art Gallery in the Visual Arts Center at 927 3^rd Ave. Wilson will present an artist’s talk from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, with a reception to follow. It is free and open to all.

In Simulacrum: How to Make Money (While Destroying Photographs), Wilson asks, “Which processes of replication destroy as they reproduce?” and playfully interprets the acts of deletion and erasure required by law. Every print or digital file is destroyed through the process. She created consecutive Xerox copies of one print until the bill became unrecognizable, and digitally cut the images and prints. Ultimately, she shredded the images. The resulting works in this series are equal parts legal proof, physical photographic inquiry, interrogation of the state and a nod to the power of the simulacrum.

“Simulacrum: How to Make Money (While Destroying Photographs) is a mixed media collection that began as a response to a color-correcting and printing student exercise,” said Courtney Chapman, gallery director for the School of Art and Design. “This exhibition showcases the playful replication and extensive destruction of those prints and digital files.”

The exhibition has been funded by the Birke Fine Arts Symposium, the College of Arts and Media, and the School of Art and Design. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the website, https://www.marshall.edu/art-galleries/ or call 304-696-4312

WARNING
Please use caution when making reproductions of United States currency. The U.S. federal government has the exclusive authority to print or coin United States currency. Currency produced anywhere other than the two U.S. Mints operated by the Department of the Treasury, along with any valid currency that has been fraudulently altered, is considered counterfeit. Producing or distributing counterfeit money, or knowingly attempting to use counterfeit money, is a criminal offense under federal law.  See generally, 18 U.S. Code Chapter 25- Counterfeiting and Forgery.