Exhibit Details

November 14, 2011 – February 4, 2012

Dallas-based artist Andrew Douglas Underwood presented his second solo exhibition, Archive of Shadows. His research-based artistic practice explores historic vignettes, examines the notion of perfection, and questions the possibility of objectivity. The museum-esque presentation of the work intrinsically implies, "The mementos collected here are of historic significance." Also, like a museum, the act of collecting naturally integrates with a practice of creating archives of information. Where this collection diverges from the institutional and the quantitative is in the emotional reaction to the vignettes. For those willing to slow down and engage with the work, the reward is an involvement with a romantic moment from history.

Selected recent exhibitions

2011 Reconstructing Perspectives, Brazos Gallery, Richland College, Dallas, Texas

2010 An Evening of Alchemy, The Reading Room, Dallas, TX

2010 Printastic Printacular, Carillon Gallery, Tarrant Community College South Campus, Tarrant County, TX curated by Joshua Goode

2010 Louisville is the Land of Tomorrow, Land of Tomorrow Gallery, Louisville, KY, curated by Joey Yates

2010 Expo 2010, 500X, Dallas, Texas; juried by Christina Rees, curator of Fort Worth Contemporary Arts, TCU and Richard Patterson

Awards

2010 Hunting Prize Finalist

2008 Vermont Studio Center Artist Grant

1993-1997 Agnes Gund Memorial Scholarship

1995-1997 Dennis Buck Memorial Scholarship

1994 Book Purchase Award, The Cleveland Institute of Art Library

Education

1997, The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH, BFA

1995, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, Mobility Program

Dallas Observer article on Reconstructing Perspectives, Brazos Gallery, Richland College, Dallas, Texas:

"Underwood's "Four Thieves Vinegar" is comprised of photographs of ten plants, the ingredients for a potion that was said to keep one from getting The Plague. The photographs were accompanied by the tale of the thieves who are said to have crafted the recipe so they wouldn't get sick when robbing the dead and dying of their belongings. Once caught, the story goes, the thieves gave up the recipe to avoid jail time. Individually they are simple plants, together they represent life.

I asked [Ryder] Richards to tell me a little more about the work and the artists that are Reconstructing Perspective.

What is Andrew Douglas Underwood trying to do with these pieces?

His work has to do with the idea of recreating a site. It's actually kind of romantic despite being research based. [For "Dover Castle, Key to England",] a fog bank rolled in when he took these photos. He was trying to capture a romantic image but he juxtaposes it with the intellectualism of the map.

Why is this art and not simply a history lesson?

I think it's about the small decisions that Andrew makes. He's trying to generate emotions as opposed to telling you what to think. He's pretty lenient with the way he's portraying history and he's bringing a lot of himself into these pieces. He makes them as art but displays them in a very dry way to blur the line between fact and art."

Excerpts from: Two Artists Are Reconstructing Perspective at Richland College's Brazos Gallery By Jenny Block.