Exhibition Statement
November 21- February 24, 2025
Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.
–Phaedrus
Decoding: Hidden Traces in Contemporary Drawing features rarely seen works from the University Art Collection that explore instances of legibility and illegibility, ambiguity and abstraction, concealment and uncovering in drawing since the 1950s.
Chosen for their engagement with the exhibition theme, these works defy visual cohesiveness to take an expansive perspective on drawing as a medium. Together, they showcase dramatic variations in scale, wide-ranging materials, and experimental processes, challenging our understanding of what drawing can be.
Layered compositions, inverted symbols, and numerical notations invite viewers to search, peer, and reorient their perspectives, revealing hidden messages in each drawing. By engaging with these intricate and ambiguous works, viewers confront the blurred line between image and text, experiencing drawing as an encoded visual language that unfolds uniquely for each person.
This exhibition is an invitation to immerse yourself, finding your own way through the traces left by each artist.
Decoding: Hidden Traces in Contemporary Drawing is a collaboration between SMU’s Department of Art History and the Hamon Arts Library. It is curated by students on the Art Gallery Practicum: Vaanya Bhakri, Jenna Buckley, Ella Ecker, Kevin Huston, Elle Lawson, Margot Papaian, Bradley Petty, Jillian Whitney, Frederick Wikelski, Emma Woods, and Carolina Yáñez.