When onlookers arrive to Austin Peay’s Trahern Student Gallery on Nov. 30, the bombardment of collaged and painted imagery on display may leave them a little overwhelmed and disoriented.
But that’s the point of Austin Peay State University student Elizabeth Megan Hydrick’s senior art exhibit, “Disorderly Circus of our Vice.” The title comes from a poem by 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire
“I feel like those five little words sum up my show quite well- sometimes things are just best said from dead, French poets,” Hydrick said.
The entire collection of work is a social commentary on nightlife, she said, specifically in the bar scene. Hydrick’s main theme is chaos.
“Chaos fascinates me in its complexity,” she said. “I guess working at a bar and being exposed to it all the time can drastically change ones perspective. Everything about it just becomes so redundant and ridiculously chaotic.”
Hydrick’s main attraction for her show is a 21-foot, 3-segment painting comprised of collaged people and bar elements. She always wanted to work on a large scale and felt that her senior exhibition was the perfect time.
The show opens with a reception and musical accompaniment, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 30. It will run from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and noon to 1 p.m. on Friday.
