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MONDAY
APRIL 9, 2001
sflc strengths, cultures work
together in 'View From Within'
A
By Elizabeth Manasse
Daily Arts Writer
In the 21st Century, there are few
professions in which people work in
isolation. For visual artists of our
time, however, working collaborative-
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Morgan Freeman gets blinded by the light reprising (or pre-prising?) his role as
Alex Cross in "Along Came a Spider."
ly is extremely rare
From Within
Rackham Galleries
Through April 30
Saito and artist AlI
. Despite this cur-
rent trend,
according to
artist Alfred
Hinton, "In any
profession, you
just can't work
in isolation." A
new exhibit at
the Institute for
the Humanities,
"The View from
Within," features
the collaborative
mixed media
work of Japan-
ese artist Sei
Hinton. Although
1Spider'
spins a
technology and reveal Hinton's love of
the materials' immediacy and raw-
ness. Saito, who studied in Japan and
currently lives in the Ann Arbor area,
emphasizes the development of
dynamic color systems and balanced
compositional layouts. She often
works in bright enamel colors.
During the Renaissance, Artists
worked together in large studios
teaching, sharing and combining
ideas. Unfortunately, artists of the
20th Century usually worked alone, a
tradition that Hinton and Saito wish to
change. Instead of working with sin-
gular ideas, when artists collaborate,
there can be a multiplicity of ideas,
methods of working, and techniques
employed. By working together, Hin-
ton said, "The works have a life of
their own, a spirit. That energy
wouldn't be present if we worked as
individual artists." In addition to their
collaborative pieces, the artists will
also exhibit individual works.
Hinton and Saito have worked
together for over 20 years, seeking to
link together the contemporary art of
Japan and the United States in their
art. In fact, the artists view their cul-
tural differences as an area for explo-
ration. For example, one thing they
never argue about, Hinton says, is that
artistic images should be read from
right to left. Although this is an untra-
ditional approach for an American
artist, it seems only natural to Saito,
since the Japanese read from top to
bottom and right to left. Through the
use of new materials, their paintings
lead their audience to think about how
two different cultures interact and how
the interaction can lead to the mutual
stimulation of cultural bonds.
Hinton is one of the country's pre-
mier mixed-media artists and, for the
past 22 years, a professor of art at the
University. Hinton studied art at the
University of Iowa on a football schol-
arship. He excelled in both fields, fre-
quently balancing the demands of his
passion for art and his commitment to
athletics. In 1961, Hinton was named
Iowa's most valuable player and was a
Coaches Association All-America
pick. Because of his excellence in the
sport, he originally chose a career in
professional football after graduation.
Shortly after, he returned to a life as
an artist when he enrolled in graduate
school at the University of Cincinnati
and finally embarked on a teaching
career. Hinton's talent as an artist and
teacher has been widely recognized.
His works have been viewed in solo
and in group exhibitions, public col-
Courtesy of Museum of Art
Al Hinton's work is an integral part of
"The View From Within."
lections and in articles and reviews
throughout the U.S. and abroad. Hin-
ton's life as an artist has taught him
that one must be able to put their
energy and spirit into creative produc-
tions.
If you are an abstract art or mixed
media fan, you should most certainly
stop by Rackham Galleries to see
"The View from Within." According
to these artists, their exhibition may
be your only chance to see works that
are a product of the creative energy of
two successful visual artists. Their
love of color and materials manifests
itself in their collaborative works.
twisted, intriguing
webg of mystery
4 Wilhelmina Mauritz
ly Arts Writer
There are a lot of mystery/detec-
tive movies out there, most of which
Along Came
a Spider
Grade: B+
At Showcase
and Quality 16
have interesting
initial story
lines along with
something that
grabs you and
leaves you
wanting more.
Most of them
have a few
unexpected
twists and turns
throughout the
film. There are,
however, only a
select few that
can pull it all
together at the end, leaving the view-
feeling both satisfied and wowed
at the same time. For anyone who
saw "Scream" or "The Sixth Sense,"
you understand.
The endings are always the hardest
part for these types of movies. You
don't want one that is totally obvious
to everyone, nor do you want an end-
ing that comes out of left field with
no prior clues given at all. For any-
one who was unlucky enough to see
*cream 2," you also understand.
"Along Came a Spider" is a stellar
mystery that is both suspenseful and
intriguing. It works on all accounts
as a great cat-and-mouse detective
story. "Along Came a Spider" is
actually a prequel to the 1997 movie
"Kiss the Girls," but you would
never know it except for the return
of Morgan Freeman's character, Alex
Cross.
Morgan Freeman was born to play
lex Cross. Cross is a police detec-
ve and criminal profiler. He solves
most of his cases with his mind
rather than through his actions,
which is a fascinating thing to
watch. Not to say that Cross doesn't
get down and dirty when he has to,
but he believes that all the clues are
-there, you just need to see them. In
movie format, this means the audi-
nce has the fun of being able to
arch for them too.
Freeman has that wonderful gift
as an actor, (one that seems to evade
a lot of others in his line of work
nowadays): He can act. He not only
plays a role but he becomes it. I
don't think I've ever seen Freeman
play a role where he didn't seem
believable. He is no different in
'Along Came a Spider."
There is not a lot to say regarding
the plot of "Along Came a Spider."
The movie begins with the kidnap-
ping of a Senator's daughter. Detec-
tive Cross is brought into the case
when the kidnapper gives him a call,
deciding to make Cross a key player
in his master plan. Monica Potter
("Head Over Heels") plays Special
Agent Jezzie Flannigan. Initially in
charge of surveillance for the
daughter, she wants to partner up
with Cross in order to catch the guy
that slipped through her fingers. In
doing so, she also hopes to repair
her tarnished reputation.
"Along Came a Spider" does
indeed have a lot of unexpected
twists and turns. Most of these are
good and refreshing since you don't
see them coming. Towards the end,
though, things start to get a little
confusing. The movie was trying to
rush itself so that the audience
wouldn't figure things out on their
own, and because of this, skipped
through things that may have been
important to the plot.
This was a common limitation
throughout the movie. "Along Came
a Spider" feels as though it could
have been much longer (not that it
should have been). A lot of this
could have been the fact that the
movie was adapted from a novel. As
tends to happen in cases such as
this, the book has tons of little
details that are key but cannot all be
put into the movie. So, when the
movie left out a detail (however
small and trivial), the filmmakers
seemed to speed things up in hopes
that the viewer wouldn't notice any
major jumps.
I am a big fan of mysteries when
they are done well and "Along Came
a Spider" does not disappoint. Even
when I thought I knew what was
coming or how the movie was going
to end, I was always surprised, yet at
the same time thinking to myself,
"Of course! Why hadn't I thought of
that!" -- a good sign in my book.
these artists studied their craft an
ocean apart, they have pulled their
artistic strengths and cultures together
in this widely celebrated exhibition.
The works are displayed in Rackham
Hall through April 30th.
"The View from Within" highlights
the artists' common interest in land-
scape and themes of memory and tra-
dition. Hinton emphasizes texture and
material in works that are spare and
minimal. He uses modern materials
such as industrial polymers, plastics,
silica and metal to create abstract col-
lages. These materials reflect modern
African 'Dual Worlds' captures art of the spirit
I
By Joe McCarthy
For the Daily
When I walked into the new exhibit of African
Art at the Museum of Art, one object caught my eye
- a carved headrest that was made for two heads. I
had seen headrests before but never one made for
two heads. The Luba headrest
had a place for the owner and
a second place for a nightly
spirit. This was a classic
example of what the new
of Dual exhibit "African Art of Dual
Worlds Worlds," was trying to cap-
Ongoing at the ture. The exhibit is dedicated
Museum of Art to joining force between the
many diverse groups of people
in the continent, the power
they all see in the realms of
^ the seen and unseen.
The section dedicated to the
material world has several
pieces of artwork that try to
capture some of the many cultures. They include
carved drums, hair ornaments, dolls, cups and con-
tainers. This section is meant show the importance
of adorning one's body and living space. These
objects are often used as symbols of status. Even the
dolls were decorated with human hair, ivory, beads
and rich shells. Often these expensive shells and
beads were at one time used in the place of money
due to their rarity.
In the opposing side of the gallery lies the section
dedicated to the more intangible spirit world. There
are healing objects and objects of divination that are
meant to invoke the powerful forces that can be
called on to assist in matters of health, business, for-
tune, and mediation. This section also houses expres-
sive masks that have strong connections with the
spirit world. Often these objects were kept shrouded
and in sacred places such as shrines.. These spiritual
pieces are in strong contrast to the objects of the
material world that were meant for display purposes.
The great exhibit would not have been possible
with the work of a post-doctoral fellow Dana Rush
and the nine students of her Fall 2000 seminar
"African Art in the West." They spent many hours
going through the Museum's collection and select-
ing certain pieces for display. They designed, titled,
and each added original research to the project.
Some of the objects are new to the University col-
lection and have never been seen by the general
public. This is a great opportunity to learn more
about African Art and explore the Museum of Art if
you have yet to explore one of our finest cultural
banks on campus.
Courtesy of Museum of Art
This exotic piece, titled "Lii," looks at the artistic value of raw materials.
Courtesy of Museum of Art
Kanaga mask: Carved wood with indigo paint, string
and leather.
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