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KEARNEY – University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty member Victoria Goro-Rapoport highlights the peculiar atmosphere of a deserted tourist town in the latest exhibit at Walker Art Gallery.
“Illusions and Imitations” showcases more than 70 photographs taken on the streets of Venice, Italy, during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The project bridges the gap between art and documentary, revealing the “phantasmagorical and surreal side of the quarantined city.”
Using only an iPhone, Goro-Rapoport captured new and surprising views of a familiar place, focusing on the empty shops, unobscured architecture and a cityscape abandoned by “real” people and dominated by human “imitations” such as mannequins, dolls and sculptures.
The exhibit also features a selection of etchings, offering a diverse visual experience.
“Illusions and Imitations” runs through Nov. 15, with an artist talk scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Nov. 7.
Located inside UNK’s Fine Arts Building, Walker Art Gallery is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 weekdays. There is no cost for admission.
A professor of art and design, Goro-Rapoport holds a bachelor’s degree in set design from Moscow Art College, master’s degree in set design from the University of Utah and master’s degree in printmaking from the University of Illinois.
While working in various drama and puppet theaters, she discovered that the most enjoyable and challenging part of the set design process for her was drawing. She became more and more involved with two-dimensional graphics, translating her stage experiences into drawings and prints.
The intersection of architecture and human figure, and their relationship to space, serve as an inspiration for her graphic work. Her prints explore themes of religion and science as well as the struggle between human emotion and violent technology.
She is an experimenter in the printmaking processes, after having worked extensively with traditional etching, engraving, mezzotint and photo-etching techniques.
