Mount Saint Mary College’s CMA Gallery will host an opening reception for its newest gallery, “Transition” by Philippe Safire, on Saturday, October 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The reception and gallery are free and open to the public. The gallery is located on the first floor of Aquinas Hall on campus, 330 Powell Ave., Newburgh, N.Y.
After the opening reception, the gallery will be open Monday through Friday during normal business hours, or by appointment through January 30, 2023. Email cma-gallery@msmc.edu for more information.
For this exhibition, Safire has created a set of new pieces made with color pencils and black paper cut-outs. The show also features an installation consisting of animation and video projection.
Safire uses pixel patterns as a visual metaphor to depict the pervasive influence of digital technologies in our everyday lives. He seeks to translate our fascination for the digital and its power to disrupt society.
The artist often appropriates familiar symbols and pop culture iconography. In this current work, the artist carved replicas of the world atlas, the American flag, human silhouettes, and the “like” icon from social media apps.
Safire is a French-Armenian artist living and working in the Hudson Valley. His recent projects include SPELL, an award-winning short film that received international recognition, “CREATE,” a participatory exhibition, and “Nightcolors,” a public art installation in Beacon, N.Y. His art has been exhibited at LACDA, ArtsWestchester Gallery, REVERSE Gallery, BeaconArts, Garrison Art Center, New York University, and the Center for the Digital Arts, among others.
The CMA gallery was created in 2019 as a professional artist space to exhibit media picked by Mount faculty from among the rising population of artists who live and work in Newburgh, Beacon, and throughout the Hudson Valley.
The Mount’s CADM programs encompass the study of advertising and public relations, digital media production, graphic design, and journalism. CADM also offers minors in each of these disciplines, as well as in art and film studies. Housed in the Mount's Division of Arts and Letters, CADM programs prepare students for both traditional and emerging professions.
CADM recently added a major in Visual Communication-Graphic Design. Students in this program study visual communication with an emphasis on conceptual problem-solving and technical proficiency.