Exhibition: April 4 - July 2, 2023
The Koger Center for the Arts Upstairs Gallery Exhibition
"Artists and Autocrats" by Colin Dodd
Join us for the opening reception on April 12, 2023 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Artist Statement:
Western Liberal Democracy has nurtured freedom of expression and an environment in which artists have been able to create without fear of persecution for their ideas. In contrast, artists in states ruled by autocrats and dictators have consistently (throughout the twentieth and into this century) had to fear for their very existence because their ideas did not align with those of the ruling authority...absolute power cannot be challenged under any circumstances.
This exhibition includes homages to modernists whose work I admire, and these paintings are intended as a celebration. In contrast, there are depictions of autocrats and dictators. These images were not created to celebrate those individuals but rather as a testament to all of the suffering that one individual can inflict upon the people that he (and isn't it always, he) controls, whether they be an ordinary citizen deprived of fundamental rights, or an artist.
The reception is free and open to the public. The Upstairs Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. and an hour prior to any Koger Center performance.