Exhibit is cultural study of women

Artist depicts nature of their poses in society

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Great artwork is perhaps both beautiful and thought provoking, and the art of Wendy Kveck has been said to have both those qualities in spades.

Kveck, a Las Vegas resident who received her master's degree in fine arts at UNLV, is an artist who has always wanted to make people think. Her newest exhibit, The Look That Makes You Happy, is on display at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. It is meant to make people think about a variety of social themes.

Patrick Gaffey, cultural program supervisor at the center, said he is very excited to have Kveck present her work in the gallery. Kveck's prior show, focusing on Americans' relationship with food, has been presented in galleries all over Las Vegas. After viewing her previous show, Gaffey still is singing her praises. He especially extols the multi-dimensionality of her work.

"On one hand, she has all this different media she is using, and on the other hand, all the things she is saying with her art," Gaffey said. "On one hand, she is considering some serious issues; on the other hand, there is some humor to what she is doing. They are really funny. You can appreciate it on all these different levels."

Kveck's show consists of paintings and photographs on the theme of posing in society. For the photographs, she asked women to mimic poses from fashion or entertainment magazines, then added masks or replaced the backgrounds.

The paintings often include some of these women, but are Kveck's own interpretation and a combination of women she has seen in real life and in magazines. She has called them "Hybrid Female Figures," and describes them as "a series of hybrid portraits that explore the notion of the socially constructed 'pose' through imagery that references art history, the media and celebrity."

Her theme is inspired by Hannah Wilke, a feminist artist of the 1970s. Wilke also used the technique of women imitating popular poses to explore and question the notions of femininity. Kveck has delved even deeper into the pose, studying the way that poses, while imitating others, still can show the true insecurities or personalities of the subjects.

"(I've been studying) how we present ourselves socially and what that might be symbolic of," Kveck said. "I've been looking at how outside identities are formed and how they are related to the inside, exploring the idea of that socially constructed pose, how we present ourselves, and how much sincerity is revealed."

She also brings back a theme from her past exhibits with the use of masks on her subjects.

"The masks allow another layer of concealment, and also humor ... they come from the earlier work with food and still represent, in a very literal way, the idea of women as consumers and the consumed," Kveck said.

While her work abounds with social themes, Kveck does not like to say that it has a particular message. She prefers to keep it open-ended so it can be interpreted by viewers on the level they chose. Art is a social phenomenon, as well as an artistic one to her. She especially enjoys making performance art because of its social nature, she said.

"Every time I stage something, one of the most interesting and exciting parts is seeing how these group dynamics occur," Kveck said. "I really wanted to kind of continue this performance work."

The Look That Makes You Happy also will include a performance piece, to be presented exclusively at an artist reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. For now, Kveck prefers to keep the content of the piece to remain a mystery, hinting only that it will include audience participation.

"I conceive of the exhibition space as a contemporary salon wherein the guests will not only view the paintings and photography, but are themselves viewed, " Kveck said.

The reception and exhibit are both free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display daily through Aug. 8. The center is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Kveck said she hopes her work will be viewed and interpreted by many.

"I always like, as an artist, to hear other people's experience in the show and their feedback. I hope people will come, and find it interesting, and that it will make them think, and that they will enjoy the experience," she said.

For more information, call 455-7040 or visit www.accessclarkcounty.com.