YIN-YANG Artist Conversation

Join us as for a discussion with YIN-YANG artists Stephen Collier, Kate Nova Williams, Ron Buffington, Lain York, Lindsy Davis, and Mary Stengel Bentley as we explore the interplay of contrasting forces and the balance of opposites in their work.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION: YIN-YANG

YIN-YANG, the latest exhibition at The Collection at Bobby Nashville, showcases artists who explore the dualities of identity through the lens of opposing forces. By engaging with themes of harmony and balance, the exhibition challenges traditional notions of self and invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of their own perceptions, as well as those of others.

Stephen Collier is a visual artist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Through his playful, multi-disciplinary practice—encompassing video, installation, performance, assemblage, painting, collage, and sculpture—Collier interrogates the signs and symbols of American mythology. With a keen eye for craft and a distinctive, wry sense of humor, he explores themes of colonialism, empire, mass culture, and histories that have been overlooked or erased.

Kate Nova Williams is a Los Angeles-based artist whose diverse educational background shapes her unique artistic vision. She earned a BFA in Painting and Photography from Bowling Green State University in 2001 and pursued post-baccalaureate studies in Northern Renaissance Art at the Neo-Medici Atelier in France in 2002, focusing on landscape and surreal themes. As a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America in 2005, she blends fine art with gemology, exploring themes of perception and the interplay of light and material in her work.

Ron Buffington is a collagist based in Chattanooga, TN, known for envisioning strange futures where everyday comforts intersect unsettlingly with life. Their collages gain strength from diverse elements, ensuring each piece is unique. In addition to their art practice, Ron teaches Painting and Drawing at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and holds an MFA from the University of Cincinnati. Their work has been featured in exhibitions like The Shadow’s Body at Watkins College of Art and Aloe Vera at Gray Contemporary. Buffington has also participated in notable residencies, including the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Lain York is a Nashville-based painter whose work draws on our collective sense of history. His art has been exhibited in galleries and museums, including a solo show titled “Selections From the National Gallery” at the Frist Museum of Art in 2015. York is the gallery director of Zeitgeist Gallery and serves on the board of Fugitive Projects. He has worked as a preparator for various arts programs and currently coordinates exhibitions for artists with disabilities at the Kennedy Center on the Vanderbilt Campus.

Lindsy Davis is a Nashville-based artist. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2014 from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University, and studied papermaking and printmaking in South Africa. Her experience in organic farming in New York's Hudson Valley informs her commitment to sustainability in her work. Davis has exhibited at the Parthenon Museum in Nashville, the Cleve Carney Museum of Art in Chicago, and the Mint Museum in Charlotte.

Mary Stengel Bentley is a multidisciplinary artist based in Nashville, TN, specializing in painting, drawing, and public installation. Her practice is rooted in the study of unconscious mark-making, driven by a desire to create expressive images that evoke life. Nature, music, and color are constant sources of inspiration for her, as she seeks unique ways to forge connections. In her murals and public installations, Mary is dedicated to creating art that interacts with its environment, producing an emotional impact unique to each space. Her work emphasizes the distinctive qualities of the sites that host her art.