By: Jamie Harvey, Reporter
OMAHA, Neb. – “Opulence: Performative Wealth and the Failed American Dream” is a multi-medium art exhibition on display at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.
The exhibition showcases the work of eight artists, three of whom are local or regional. Although most of the pieces were acquired, the Bemis Center commissions two new projects for “Opulence.”
Bemis Center Exhibition Manager and curator of Opulence Jared Packard said the exhibition examines aesthetics that people might dismiss as tacky or unserious “in the context of a political and social world in which systemic barriers limit certain communities’ abilities to access the American dream.”
The exhibition plays around with the concept of high and low culture, featuring mediums and artists not traditionally seen in a gallery setting. Local nail artist Imagine Uhlenbrock created a set of hand models and a working nail salon for the exhibition.
Visitors can scan a QR code and schedule a time to have their nails done in the gallery. The exhibition also showcases the clothing and crowns of local performer and activist Faleasha Savage.
Packard says the mix of mediums and artists makes the experience feel like a conversation between different ideas and perspectives.
Art enthusiast and co-founder of Omaha Based arts organization Cali Commons Molly Nicklin said she appreciated the varying perspectives in the exhibition. “I feel like I got an understanding of the way the artists felt, and I really appreciated having that experience,” Nicklin said.
Opulence: Performative Wealth and the Failed American Dream will be at the Bemis Center until April 16th.
