BANGOR — The University of Maine Museum of Art, 40 Harlow St., will open three new exhibitions on Friday, Oct. 4 to run through Jan. 4:
• Sachiko Akiyama: “On Finding Home.”
Sachiko Akiyama creates figures carved primarily from wood and finished with beautifully painted surfaces. The sculptures are often self-portraits which speak to the inner lives of individuals — quiet contemplations on the desires, fears, values and dreams that define human being. In her work “I Remember What I Did Not See,” the viewer questions the events which led to the female figure lying, eyes-closed, with one hand over her heart and the other holding a small bird.
• Susan Burnstine and Lynn Saville: From the Shadows.”
“From the Shadows” features works by Los Angeles-based Susan Burnstine and Manhattan-based Lynn Saville. In these black and white images, both photographers capture mostly urban landscapes heightened with a sense of mystery and drama. Burnstine constructs handmade cameras and lenses to depict dreamlike places and moments in time. The hazy distortion suggests the locations are imprinted with memories or lying on the edge of consciousness. Saville explores night’s seductive essence in a series of photographs shot in Paris, Venice and New York City. In “Staten Island Ferry,” the vessel becomes a lone apparition on the river while in “The Flatiron Building” the buildings are a darkened triangular mass defined by the glow of street and automobile lights.
• Gregory Kalliche: “GPOY.”
GPOY, which stands for Gratuitous Picture of Yourself, is Gregory Kalliche’s series exploring the idea of visual effects. Kalliche, who is based in New York, said “representations are ways we collectively depict and ultimately embody an anthropocentric nature.” UMMA’s Zillman Gallery becomes the setting for the artist’s 3D modeled animations and vinyl light stencil compositions. Through the artist’s inventive use of materials, the depiction of a table arranged with assorted food items takes on a new and grander meaning. Baskets of bananas, coffee carafes, sandwich platters and water bottles glimmer like a constellation in his light construction. Kalliche then singles out these elements in a video projection in which the portrayed subjects rotate and morph into new creations.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission to the museum is free in 2013 thanks to the support of Penobscot Financial Advisors.