Exhibition by Tya Alisa Anthony
Exhibition Dates: March 8 – April 5, 2019
Opening Reception: March 8, 2019, 4 – 8 p.m.
Rotunda Gallery
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design presents Delirium by Denver-based artist Tya Alisa Anthony. Through large-scale photographic prints and performative videos, Anthony reflects on the divisiveness that exists in contemporary culture, the resurgence of overt racism, and the current state of politics in the United States. Dealing with the daily dismay of social media timelines that leads to fractured relationships, friendships, and to disruptions of political progress, Delirium allows participants to visually express their anxiety through performance photography and collage.
Artist Statement
Delirium is a state of acute temporary confusion making it difficult to think, remember, sleep, pay attention, and express oneself verbally. Delirium may last a few hours, as long as several weeks, or in some cases, several months. According to medical diagnosis, delirium is usually caused by alcohol withdrawal, after major surgery, or as a by product of dementia. In the case of reflecting on our current state of the division of society, resurgence of racism and the Presidential Administration of the United States, delirium due to dismay may last for the next two to six years or longer. Depending on the actual cause of the delirium, treatment may include but is not limited to elimination of usage of specific media outlets who provide the distribution of subversive and counterproductive information. Dealing with the daily dismay of social media timelines that have lead to a wide variety of fractured relationships, friendships, and actual political progress, Delirium allows participants to visually express their anxiety through performance photography and collage. Do not worry, full recovery from delirium is possible with the appropriate treatment. It can take up to a few weeks for you to think, speak, and feel physically like yourself. One might have side effects from social media withdrawal methods used to treat this condition.
About the Artist
Tya Alisa Anthony explores themes of Identity through photography, mined media and charged objects. Anthony’s Identity focused works offer exploration in both the shared and diverse experiences of Contemporary Western Culture while approaching socially illuminated topics involving people of color. The core of Anthony’s experimental work exists within research, collage and abstract performance. As an integral component of her tactile studio practice, Anthony draws from nostalgia, photographs and media acquired online and images removed from her extensive archive of family photographs. It is Anthony’s intention to create works that explore the intersections of contemporary culture while creating a space of autonomy and regard for bodies of color.
Anthony received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 2015, (SUMMA CUM LAUDE) honored as Valedictorian, from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Presently, Anthony lives and works in the city of Denver, producing photography + fine art installations for both commissions and exhibition. Tya is currently a TANK Studios artist, 2018 Redline Residency Artist and serves on the Advisory Board for Leon Gallery, a non-profit gallery and creative space dedicated to mentoring emerging artists across multiple disciplines, along with the Board of Tilt West, a non-profit dedicated to fostering critical dialog in art and culture in Denver.
