Kinsey’s exhibit goes “beyond the screen”

By: Madison Pimental

Professor David Kinsey’s new exhibit “Beyond the Screen” tackles his experience with technology while exploring a new medium for the artist.

“I’ve seen dramatic technological changes throughout my life,” Professor Kinsey said. “I have a love-hate relationship with it.”

Professor Kinsey grew up with Legos, Star Wars, the original Transformers, and Blade Runner, which inspired his work in the exhibit. “Pagers were a big thing,” Kinsey joked.

“I disassembled old machinery parts, old electronics, my own photography, and a lot of scraps. I was making my own personal Lego pieces,” Kinsey said. “It felt like I was playing again, as a kid.”

The exhibit features a combination of 3-D sculptures with wires and technological parts as well as paintings and other 2-D art. He wanted to take risks and experiment with 3-D art – something he hasn’t done since his Sophomore year of college.

“We are so caught up in the digital, that often it’s all about the screen,” Professor Kinsey said. Kinsey aimed to have the exhibit in the Carole Calo Gallery so the Stonehill public could see it in-person. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed art to the digital realm, which has its own pros and cons, according to Kinsey.

“People can appreciate how I’m trying to talk about the physicality, thick paint, texture, tactile qualities of making art. I want people to look at it and know I invested a lot of time on it,” Kinsey said.

People would even come up to Kinsey and ask if one of his physical paintings was made on photoshop. “It’s a painting, not a photoshop program!” Kinsey joked.

Professor Kinsey was finishing the work when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, and saw how the pandemic amplified current anxieties. However, the pandemic also gave opportunity he had never seen before.

“One thing I loved was the fact that I needed a sketchbook so I went out to Target, and when I went down the art aisle, it was empty,” Professor Kinsey said. “That says a lot. That says that people out there need something. That made me feel so good.”