At a Glance
Strange Times at TAC By Don Emrick
Zac James Heimdale, Kansas City, Communication #2, Oil on Canvas, 36”x48”
Strange Times is an apt title for Zac James Heimdale’s exhibit at the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery during the month of July. The gallery was filled with just five of the large paintings, which are both disturbing and enlightening. The sheer size and subject matter of the art doesn’t hold back. It’s not only in your face, but also in the realm of the soul barely recalled from dreams. The looming images, part of what Heimdale calls his “Frankenstein aesthetic” raise the question: if Frankenstein was the modern Prometheus, then what does Heimdale’s work say in this postmodern era? In the words of the artist, the huge, distorted, figures: “…seem to be caught in some limbic state.” They echo his stated themes of loss, physical deformity and sexual frustration. The feeling is one of alienation from self and society: base emotions rule over logic and reason. His style fits in well with the influences he cites: Francis Bacon, Jean Michele Basquiat, Paul Klee, and Willem De Kooning. When looking at the work – with the heavy, thick strokes, coupled with primitive outlining and unnatural color palette, one can see how they’ve been adapted to Heimdale’s view, and our disoriented, fragmented, multitasked world. Disturbing? Yes. But it’s why we find them disturbing that enlightens. A question each viewer has to answer individually. Understanding, however, may only come in the dark hours of the night. Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery is located at 9 E. Brady and can be found online at www.tacgallery.org. Heimdale’s other works may be seen at www.zacjamesheimdale.com. n Don Emrick is a Fine Art photographer with a M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from OU. He currently teaches photography, both film and digital, at Tulsa Community College and also works with various non-profit art organizations. He can be reached at donemrick@att.net.
at a glance
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