MOCKINGBIRD

Date: November 12, 2024 - November 15, 2024

Location: Heritage Art Center, Columbus, GA

Artists: Campbell Eubanks, Vinh Huynh, Emma Gaines, Bear Gilbert, Eva Howard, Nykeshia Riggins, Fern Whitmire, Gil Hurley, and Maddy Frady

Curatorial Statement:

In Mockingbird, artists weave a complex tapestry of identity, mirroring the mockingbird’s unique ability to absorb and reimagine the sounds that surround it. Just as the mockingbird’s song is a patchwork of borrowed notes, each artist’s work reflects the influence of environment, history, and individual experience. This exhibition examines how identities are shaped, layered, and transformed over time—how we imitate, blend, and reassemble fragments of what surrounds us.

Through various media, artists in Mockingbird invite viewers to consider identity as both a constructed and fluid process, one that incorporates heritage, environment, and a kaleidoscope of social forces. From fragmented self-portraits to layered installations, each piece resonates with the dualities of individuality and collective experience, suggesting that identity is both a personal assertion and a reflection of the world. In echoing the voices of others, these works emphasize that identity is as much about adaptation as it is about authenticity—an endless composition of what we choose to absorb, reimagine, and project.