by Jasmine Bridges
Daily Lobo
No, it's not just an exhibition of paper napkins.
Matthew Rana's artistic honors thesis, "Rewriting," is a compelling statement that works from the inside out. Rana explores the personal experience of rediscovering roots while striking a universal note through a series of prints, two paintings and a film.
Rana was present Friday to explain the process behind his work at the reception for his show, now hanging in the John Sommers Gallery in the Art and Art History building.
Without any context, the viewer is confronted with columns of unfamiliar symbols written in black ink on the unmistakable flowered texture of an ordinary paper towel. On one half of a print, Urdu words are written with a steady, practiced hand. The careful attempts of a beginning Urdu writer cover the other half.
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Urdu is a derivative of Arabic and Persian languages and uses its own written system.
Combined, both sides create an artistic record - a document of a new relationship between father and son.
The prints are a collaborative effort that began in the spring. They show an exchange of history on a commonly discarded item that is then blown up to show detail.
When one examines the prints it's easy to see what they are - ordinary objects literally holding new meaning. Another similar set of prints was created on hotel stationary with pen impressions. The metaphorical implications of this are hard to define in a concrete way.
Two abstract paintings, clearly different but similar in color scheme and intent, document Rana's process. The two canvases are filled with the severe strokes of a tally, a record of his learning process in finding out more about himself and his father, who was not always a significant presence in Rana's life.
Although the pieces are displayed side by side, almost as two parts of a whole, there's an unmistakable space between them. This takes on significance when considering that for every brush stroke, something was learned.
Accompanying the prints and paintings is a film of Rana outlining his hand with common Urdu phrases. It's fascinating to see how complex the language is - the characters themselves are art.
Rana said exploring his background through his father seemed especially important after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, which turned the world's eye toward people of Middle Eastern descent, often pinning them with ignorant labels and fear-based stereotypes.
Rana's work offers a distinctive glimpse into a culture that many viewers may not be familiar with and as a result, may regard as negative.
Rana said that in creating the pieces, his culture became less mysterious. The exhibition certainly eliminates some of the mystery for viewers. Even 9/11 hysteria cannot discredit a language so visually beautiful, even if you never hear a word of it.
The question is: Will viewers get the ideas behind "Rewriting" without Rana's personal explanation? Or will they walk away thinking of napkins?
Although at first glance the exhibit doesn't immediately express the subtle ideas behind it, with some consideration, the pieces stand on their own.
This is partly due to the exotic beauty of the Urdu language in its written form as well as the fact that ordinary things can be interesting and worthy of display with the right ideas behind them.
"Rewriting" is compelling, timely and certainly worthy of a look.
