We Belong to the Land/Nous appartenons á la Terre
We Belong to the Land exhibition at Hall Gaillard, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
This exhibition was created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Norman Oklahoma and Clermont-Ferrand. We Belong to the Land presents art works and historical documents that examine Oklahoma’s roots including Native Americans. Participants in the show presents a view of yesterday and today. Free exhibition for all, Hall Gaillard, from December 13, 2019 to January 2020., 18
I contributed two works on paper to the show. Thank you to the curator Erinn Gavaghan for including my Red Mesa paintings in the exhibition.
Here are some thoughts on my work: Color is a mental perception, an experience, it carries meanings on a symbolic level. Colors impart feelings, physical responses, and shifting meanings. In this work I provide a glimpse into Oklahoma’s diverse landscape. The mesas are the highest points of elevations in the state, they hold prehistoric treasures, and mark where the Rocky Mountains meet the shortgrass prairie. In these Red Mesa paintings I use color to reflect on the Oklahoma’s iconic red dirt, its long hot summers, the past and present, and the cycle of life and death.
Red Mesa No. 1, oil on paper, 12 x 16 inches, by Benjamin Murphy
Red Mesa No. 3, oil on paper, 12 x 16 inches, by Benjamin Murphy
We Belong to the Land exhibition at Hall Gaillard, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
We Belong to the Land exhibition at Hall Gaillard, opening reception, Clermont-Ferrand, France.