Kudzu Soliloquy

Is the south gothic by nature? The past whistles a familiar tune in the present while the ‘new’ rests on the ‘old’ – side-by-side. Deficient and failing ideologies, symbols, and histories haunt us. Monuments dedicated to the transgressions of our ancestors are affixed in small-town squares. Once immaculate, neoclassical architecture is now adorned with peeling paint and crumbling roman columns serving as a reminder. A reminder that darkness is invasive, like kudzu. This exhibit aims to conjure a feeling rather than explicitly articulating what it is to be southern or the meaning of southern culture.

By combining contemporary art and traditional craft, Kudzu Soliloquy interprets the blended nature of our existence in the South as traditions tend to inform our present-day practices. And through this exhibition, we explore Southern Identity by portraying the Southern Gothic aesthetic of our environment, living culture, folklife traditions, and craft. Exhibiting artists include Michael Acuff, Sarah Adkins-Jablonsky, Gwen Chafin, Zoe Fitch, Cathy Fussell, Aaron Sanders Head, Alicia Henry, Bethanne Hill, Glenn House, George Jones Jr., Jessica Peterson, Jerry Siegel, Marjorie Williams-Smith, and Lynette Youson.