WKU Professor's Work Selected For Prestigious Art Fair

January 06, 2009

Bowling Green, Ky. - Yvonne Petkus, an assistant professor of art at Western Kentucky University, will have her work exhibited at the 2009 Art Basel Miami Beach Art Fair.

Petkus was one of two artists selected from a juried exhibit of 39 artists to be featured in an exhibit during the week of Art Basel.

Art Basel Miami Beach is the most important art show in the United States. As the sister event of Switzerland’s Art Basel, the most prestigious art show worldwide for the past 39 years, Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design.

An exclusive selection of more than 250 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by more than 2,000 artists. The exhibiting galleries are among the world’s most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers. Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art.

Petkus’ oil paintings generally depict lone female nudes that are initially begun as self-portraiture. Caught in a moment of transitional body positioning, the single figure is often set within a desolate landscape. Petkus’ process of painting consists of a myriad of small dabs of paint building up a rich surface of color and texture that describe substance and yet casts doubt about what is actually seen. Can we trust one moment’s vision when another moment has already passed? Torso shifts, slight movements of a limb or reconsidered hand gestures are all acknowledged by the artist’s eye and brushwork but pose more questions for the viewer than they answer. Her work can viewed at http://www.wku.edu/Art/people/faculty/yvonne/yvonne.htm

Art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world will participate in Art Basel Miami Beach on Dec. 3-6, 2009.
               
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For information, contact Sally Ray at (270) 745-2283.