Hillsborough Community College (HCC) Art Galleries unveiled two new exhibitions this spring on two campuses that are free and open to the public.
Ukombozi: Reclaiming Place and Self presents recent works by multidisciplinary artist Njeri Kinthuthia at Gallery221@HCC Dale Mabry Campus.
The Kenyan-born artist recently won the People’s Choice Award at the Orlando Museum of Art’s 2024 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, which initially drew the attention of HCC Art Director, Amanda Poss. Poss was drawn to two large-scale installations Kinuthia created with African fabrics – Hail Reverend Njeri and Nyumba – and asked Kinuthia to bring versions of these to HCC.
“The People’s Choice Award is really prestigious,” said Poss. “We’re excited to see what viewers connect with and what they take away from these conversations that are provoked by the works.”
Hail Reverend Njeri presents a self-portrait of the artist that towers above the viewer. Her dress made of African textiles cascades onto the gallery floor with more textiles that rise above the gallery wall above the piece.
“As a petite woman who faced years of bullying due to my size and experienced religious trauma, this artwork serves as a symbol of empowerment,” Kinthuthia said. “By placing myself higher than eye level and adorning a large gown, I assert my presence both symbolically and physically. The fabric shipped from Kenya by my mother underscores the collaborative bond between a mother and a daughter, enriching the narratives of this piece. The goal of this artwork is to provoke contemplation on empowerment, self-assurance and authority.”
“House” in Swahili, Nyumba, is a ceiling-height installation 13 feet in diameter, which invites viewers to step inside the piece and contemplate where heritage and personal identity intersect.
Currently on exhibit in Gallery114@HCC Ybor City Campus is Eszter Sziksz: Let It Go. HCC Art Galleries annually presents a selection of works by arts faculty currently teaching at a four-year university in Florida. This year hosts multimedia artist Eszter Sziksz, DLA, a visiting professor at the Ringling College of Art and design in Sarasota, Fla.
This exhibit includes videos, sculptures and prints that address environmental impacts, touching on collective concerns about impeding catastrophes and how the fragility of life can be both universal and deeply intimate. For Sziksz, the sentient impressions of her work may be more important than the survival of the work itself.
Title piece Let It Go was created in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. From a distance, Let It Go looks like 48 pieces of parchment paper blowing in the artificial wind of two portable fans, but close up, showcases messages of disaster, shared experience and hope pressed into the translucent sheets.
HCC Art Galleries Education Coordinator James Cartwright discovered Eszter Sziksz’s work at the Sarasota Art Museum during Skyway 2024.
“What stood out to me from the work is, honestly, the fragility of it,” said Cartwright, who curated the exhibit in Gallery114. “Every object seems very pervious and needs a lot of care.”
Ukombozi: Reclaiming Place and Self is available until April 17, 2025. Eszter Sziksz: Let It Go is available until Feb. 20, 2025.
Kinuthia is currently working as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla. She received a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design from Machakos University, Kenya in 2019 and her MFA in Emerging Media, Studio Art and Design from the University of Central Florida in 2024.
Sziksz received a Doctorate in Liberal Arts from Pecsi Tudomany Egyetem, Pec, Hungary in 2018 and an MFA in Studio Art from Mephais College of Art in 2010.
Gallery221@HCC is located on the second floor of the Learning Resources Center, HCC Dale Mabry Campus. Visitor parking on campus is free in any open lot. Gallery114@HCC is located on the first floor of the Performing Arts Building, HCC Ybor City Campus. Parking can be found on the street around the campus or at Palm or Centro Ybor Garage. Learn more about upcoming projects and gallery hours at hccfl.edu/galleries.
Hillsborough Community College serves more than 45,000 students annually at its five campuses located throughout Tampa Bay. For more information, visit hccfl.edu.
Hillsborough Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Hillsborough Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Hillsborough Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
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