DECONSTRUCTED

"Art is strange-looking stuff and most people don’t understand art. … If everybody understand one another, wouldn’t nobody make art. Art is something to open your eyes. Art is for understanding."

—Thornton Dial (1928–2016)

This companion exhibition to CONVERGENCE, on view in the adjacent #art912 gallery, spotlights key works from the Southeast from Telfair Museums’ permanent collection. Created in Georgia and Alabama from the 20th century to the early 2000s, these objects dismantle artistic conventions, forgoing linear perspective, naturalistic colors, seamless mark making, and realistic figuration. Veering away from tradition has allowed these nine artists to generate alternative aesthetics and visual richness. Their works encourage us to open our eyes and minds to unfamiliar perspectives and novel experiences.