MAY 8 “CLEAR MIRROR” PANEL DISCUSSION EXPLORES WHAT PORTRAITURE HELPS US SEE

The Bobby Hotel Nashville’s ongoing, temporary art exhibits curated by Joshua Edward Bennett at Tinney Contemporary, are designed to encourage visitors to see things differently. That’s particularly true of Clear Mirror, the latest installment at the Collection at Bobby Hotel.

The opening lines from The Velvet Underground & Nico’s song “I’ll Be Your Mirror” read: “I’ll be your mirror/reflect what you are, in case you don’t know.” And that summarizes the vibe of the exhibit which features artists who engage in some variety of alternative portraiture. The emphasis is not on objectivity or realism, but on the shifting nature of subjecthood and representation. 

That’s, in part, because of tools such as Photoshop and Facetune, which have changed how we think about portraits. At the same time, corporations and state entities constantly capture and repurpose our likenesses for obscure ends.  

The exhibit will be up on the hotel walls until Sept. 3, and free and open to the public. On May 8, at 6 p.m. – 7p.m. Bennett will be joined by two of the participating artists in Clear Mirror in a free panel discussion. Julia Martin is a Nashville-based multi-disciplinary artist and gallery owner. She’s known for her vibrant, otherworldly paintings, the way she candidly explores emotional relationships via abstraction of the human figure.

intuition and experimentation guides Martin’s practice, which has branched into mulitmedia works on paper, polychrome wood sculpture, and more.

“The compulsion to render the human figure in painstaking detail throughout the early stages of my career informs the freedom in my mark making these days,” she says. “In turn, freedom dances with old urges hopefully leaving each piece exquisitely incomplete. My own private anarchy.”

Martin also has a laugh that will light up a room, so you’ll both want to see her work and hear her speak. Intuition and experimentation guide her practice, which has branched into multimedia works on paper, polychrome wood sculpture, assemblage and some flirtation with fiber art.

Nashville-based visual artist, sai Clayton, “I hope to open spaces and opportunities to local emerging artists, making Nashville a destination for art viewers and artists alike.”

Joining Bennett and Martin is Nashville-based visual artist and curator Sai Clayton. Her work gives form to her heritage by exploring the self-portrait as a vessel for racial representation and the transcultural experience.

Bennett will ask the artists about their work with portraiture, exploring how their expressionistic approach supports their motives and desires for the work’s presentation and meaning for viewers. He’ll ask them to talk about how their own identity impacts (or doesn’t) the outcome of their work.

The panel discussion is free to attend, and tickets can be reserved online.

The opening lines from The Velvet Underground & Nico’s song “I’ll Be Your Mirror” read: “I’ll be your mirror/reflect what you are, in case you don’t know.” And that summarizes the vibe of Clear mirror.