Love is in the Air and on the Walls at Postcrypt

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, the Postcrypt Art Gallery provided a timely opportunity for artistic Columbia students to showcase their widely divergent interpretations of that ubiquitous word—love.

While a show centered on such a broad topic might seem uninspired or cliché, the huge variety of opinions provoked by that four-letter word said otherwise. The artists’ responses ranged from the poignant and touching—a photograph of red roses with a funeral scene in the background, taken by Matt Hamilton, SEAS ’11—to the shocking and disturbing—a disfigured mannequin whose torso is cut open to reveal a bloody heart, submitted by sculptor Zane Hart.

As always, the challenge of running an art gallery like Postcrypt is crafting exhibits that will both attract thoughtful submissions from artists and provide broad appeal to an audience of Columbia students. Emilie Streiff, CC ’11, one of the curators of the Love Show and treasurer of the Postcrypt Art Gallery, explained, “I was trying to think of topics in which a really wide variety of artists could submit work. There are just so many directions you can take with this subject.”

Although for some people the word “love” might evoke romantic images or emotional sentiments, the artwork on display at Postcrypt was just as provocative as ever, not only in terms of content, but also with respect to medium and message. Some viewers might argue that the artists confused love with lust, but the full value of a group show is, after all, in the wide range of viewpoints represented. With that in mind, it seems the artists are justified in responding to the call for submissions with shocking work.

Visitors to Postcrypt Art Gallery will undoubtedly find their attention drawn to a collection of drawings, submitted by the cast of the upcoming on-campus performance of Vagina Monologues, portraying a certain part of their own female anatomy.

Streiff proudly noted that a large number of professional artists submitted their artwork to the Love Show, a sign that the student-run art gallery is developing a reputation beyond the Columbia community. Professional artist Yael Dugany, for example, submitted a collection of small white squares covered with energetic splashes of colorful paint. As beautiful as Dugany’s art was to look at, her work seemed unrelated to the theme of love.

Whether you are a cynic or a romantic at heart, the Postcrypt Art Gallery invites you to experience the “many different sides of love,” as Streiff put it. Chances are that at least one artist’s portrayal will resonate with you, even if your own opinion of love doesn’t include hearts and flowers.

The Love Show is currently on display at the Postcrypt Art Gallery in the basement of St. Paul’s Chapel.