Gallery Talk with artist Thaddeus Erdahl on Friday

Erdahl’s SUR.REALITIES exhibit closes Sunday, gallery talk with the artist is Friday

Waterloo, Iowa – Works by nationally recognized clay sculptor and University of Northern Iowa graduate Thaddeus Erdahl are featured in the Waterloo Center for the Arts’ exhibit SUR.REALITIES: Ceramic Sculpture by Thaddeus Erdahl through Sunday, September 20. Admission to view the exhibition is free.

Meet artist Thaddeus Erdahl at his closing Gallery Talk on Friday, September 18 at 7:00pm, hosted by the Friends of the Art Center.  This free reception is open to the public and will feature discussion with the artist and light refreshments.  Erdahl will also be hosting a 2-day workshop on September 19 and 20, where participants will have the opportunity to work with the artist in sculpting heads and surreal figures.  The workshop is $50/person, will be held from 1:00-4:00pm each day, and includes all materials and firing.  Pre-registration is required by calling the Waterloo Center for the Arts at (319) 291-4490.

Erdahl's works tend toward the figurative and the surreal, with compelling and sometimes disturbing doses of irony and social commentary.   There are approximately four different bodies of work presented in this exhibition: the figurative sculptures of children, collectively titled “Brief, Amusing Stories”, “The Salesmen”, “Memory Creatures”, and the “Communication Breakdown” series. 

The figures representing childhood reflect Erdahl’s whimsical interpretations of being young as well as the imaginative versus the technological sources of play that exist for children today.  “The Salesmen” were inspired by the concept of Erdahl’s own personal alter ego and the demands of an artist to “sell himself” to survive.  Also inspired by personal experiences, the “Memory Creatures” reflect Erdahl’s frustrations with forgetting and the nebulous world where our memories are kept.  A major shift occurred next, and during Erdahl’s last year of graduate study, he began exploring interactive sculpture wherein the viewers became the “figures” and Erdahl created objects that would experientially engage them.  Focusing on communication breakdown and the rift between our internal and external modes of communicating, both interactive and figurative sculptures are utilized to represent this theme in the exhibition.  Drawing is also a major component of Erdahl’s process and though he had been sketching for many years, his two-dimensional imagery recently evolved into large-scale drawings for the gallery to join the sculptures as collaborative thematic elements. 

The thread that ties each body of work together is the human condition and Erdahl’s fascination with the consciousness of self, how we represent ourselves, and how we struggle to communicate with others. With each body of work that Erdahl creates, a new idea drives him, a new topic of research awaits him, and a fresh approach to creating ensues.  Erdahl enjoys the challenges, the surprises, and the opportunities for discovery, and shows this exploration in this exhibit.

SUR.REALITIES: Ceramic Sculpture by Thaddeus Erdahl will remain on view through Sunday, September 20, 2009 in the Waterloo Center for the Arts’ Forsberg Riverside Galleries.  Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00am - 5:00pm and Sundays, 1:00 - 5:00pm. Admission is free.

The Waterloo Center for the Arts works in partnership with the community to build a stronger appreciation for the arts and to provide cultural experiences for people of all ages. For more information, call (319) 291-4490 or visit www.waterloocenterforthearts.org.