The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA) opened “Fire! The Resurrection of Mr. Imagination” earlier this month as a part of the ”Fall into Folk” celebration. Longwood University, a place not unfamiliar with a history of devastating fires after enduring two in the past, is hosting this exhibit at the LCVA.
The exhibit features over 130 pieces of the late artist Gregory Warmack, better known as Mr. Imagination. Warmack displayed sentimental and emotional elements through his works. He was characterized by many as generally charismatic and upbeat in nature but was no stranger to tragedy.
After suffering an almost fatal gunshot wound in a 1978 robbery, he experienced a transformative vision, resulting in the changing of his name to Mr. Imagination. As Mr. Imagination, Warmack strived to prioritize triumph over tragedy, which is evident in many of his pieces that represent the idea of rising out of the ashes. Mr. Imagination attributed the power of creativity to saving his life and the exhibit at the LCVA seeks to express Mr. Imagination’s philosophical and aesthetic response to the effect of destructive force that fire had on his life and work.
He allowed himself to undergo a creative metamorphosis as a result of the tragic events that he experienced, viewing them as “life transforming” and choosing to redirect the pain into beauty.
Mixed media burnt work and found object art dominate the collection, as well as bottle caps, which appear most frequently throughout Mr. Imagination’s works. The partial installation of an altar commands the attention of LCVA guests in one segment of the exhibit with elements of fire, water and ice.
Although not formally trained, Mr. Imagination drew on his experiences with African cultures as he immersed himself in in-residency programs abroad. After a trip to Benin, West Africa, Mr. Imagination was inspired to incorporate new stylistic elements into his work. LCVA guests can see these elements featured in the exhibit, because Mr. Imagination uses ping-pong paddles and paintbrushes that have been innovatively repurposed into wall art modeled after African hairstyles and embellishments in his works.
The LCVA will house “Fire! The Resurrection of Mr. Imagination” until January 17, 2015. You can catch a glimpse of the works Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
