Enter Stanley C. Wilson: a storyteller and artist who expresses himself in ways that may seem confusing at first. But if you show him a little patience, you will find substance beneath the bizarreness. Wilson, hailing from the southern part of the Golden State, has his abstract and mind-boggling pieces on display at the University Art Gallery (UAG) in his exhibition, “Altars, Icons and Drawings.”
Wilson is not only inspired by dreams and current events, but also by his personal life and places he has ventured to. These adventures, whether they take him around his own home in Southern California or to Africa, are represented in his work, and no matter how abstract they may seem, each tells a story. Regarding the countless amounts of altars in his work, Wilson explains, “My interest in altars seems to have developed during my first trip to Nigeria in 1977. […] I had the time and the motivation to explore Yoruba structures or belief.”
These adventures and stories distance Wilson from what many imagine when they think of traditional art: various colored paints on a canvas or pencil on a sheet of paper. Visitors to Wilson’s “Altars, Icons and Drawings” will find chains, bullets, ashes, wood, metal, charcoal and what appears to be oil pastel on rag paper.
While browsing the exhibit, a quick glance won’t be enough to sort out these elements. For example, in the piece called “Altar for El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles; Pio Pico’s Mestizo Reality,” bullet casings on the yard of a house extend out from the main piece by a chain. Some might think it is just for show; a little thought, however, can uncover some kind of meaning behind the placement.
“I think the bullet casings around the outside house show that these people fired off a lot of bullets and received a few back, as shown by the bullet holes in the house,” a fellow viewer of the sculpture said. “The woman in the large portion of the sculpture, however, did not fire any of her bullets, and as a result, remains fine.”
Sculptures aren’t the only pieces of art you will find at Wilson’s exhibit; his drawings on display will make your head tilt when trying to understand just what he was trying to express. Lizards, ceremonial masks, crosses and hearts play a big role in these pieces. The placement of the subjects made me question why they are on an altar, and why others have fallen, or are falling, onto the ground.
From pins in a heart to fallen crosses, Wilson captures his viewers with unique placements and details. While Wilson presents his art in a way that requires some critical thinking to reach an understanding, you will find the effort well worth it.
If you are interested in visiting Stanley C. Wilson’s “Altars, Icons and Drawings,” the exhibit is open until March 5 in the UAG in the Theatre Building.