School of Art Faculty Loring Taoka Opens Solo Exhibition and Curated Group Exhibition in Las Vegas

Loring Taoka

untitled - overlapping ellipse patterns or I'll sink this ship if I want

The School of Art at the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences congratulates Loring Taoka on the opening of a solo exhibition, Fingers Crossed, and curating a group exhibition, A Bell, featuring several School of Art faculty including Rebecca Morgan, Sean P. Morrissey, Zora J. Murff, Breanne Trammel, and Rana Young.

Fingers Crossed is presented at Sahara West Gallery in Las Vegas, Nevada now through March 6. This show will consist of Taoka's work created over the last two years, looking at the engagement with their experiences as a queer, person of color. 

"I think a lot about how I move through space and how I carry myself," said Taoka. "I think constantly about who I am and how my existence inhabits an ambiguous state. Being a queer, Japanese-American has required me to be constantly engaged with perception and negotiation."

Taoka shares he is interested in looking and seeing, asking questions about how we look and see, and the fundamental questions of looking and seeking. He asks questions about what individuals are looking at, and how does he personally understand what he is seeing and how are images read and understood.

He joined the School of Art in 2018 as an instructor and 2D advanced technology lab supervisor. As a visual artist, he utilizes a variety of approaches and techniques exploring notions of vagueness and authenticity. 

In addition to his own solo exhibition, Taoka also curated a group exhibition in an adjoining gallery at Sahara West Gallery entitled, A Bell. The exhibition features School of Art faculty Rebecca Morgan, Sean P. Morrissey, Zora J. Murff, Breanne Trammel and Rana Young, and other artists including Keegan Grandbois, Jamie Ho, Penny Molesso, Naomi Nakazato and Joy O. Ude.

This exhibition looks at ways in which each artist engages with the formation of their identity and the ways in which they create and maintain space. 

Taoka describes how the bell can take on many different meanings, from a joyous celebration to an alarm call, from the passage of time to a symbol of freedom, with context providing a point of departure.

"Family photographs and souvenirs let us think about unknowable influences, untaken paths, and the weight of the past; representation of ourselves and our environment grant us the ability to celebrate, reinterpret, and reimagine who we are; critique of systems of oppression and institutions allow us to hold those in power accountable for their willful negligence," said Taoka.

This exhibition is currently on display and will be available for viewing through March 13.