Kinsey Institute opens new fall exhibitions

Two new fall exhibitions, “Past/Present” and “La Vida Sexual,” will have their opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at The Kinsey Institute.

“Past/Present,” a mixed media exhibition, will feature several different types of art, including paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and collages, all of which were donated to Kinsey.

The featured works are displayed in groups, with the idea being to pair up old artwork with more contemporary work to show their similarities.

“In some cases, we’re showing where people are clearly looking at something and going off of that,” said Catherine Johnson-Roehr, curator of art, artifacts and photographs at The Kinsey Institute. “In other cases, they may not have seen the work we’re showing with it, but the same idea is carrying through, and I think that’s really interesting.”

The exhibit is part of the current Themester theme: “Connectedness: Networks in a Complex World.”

“What we’re doing with this show is showing that connection between past and present,” Johnson-Roehr said. “With artists who are clearly revealing in their work, there’s a connection to past work.”

While “Past/Present” is focused on connections, “La Vida Sexual” is concentrated on Latin American artwork and pieces from artists who were originally from Latin American countries in honor of the 40th anniversary of La Casa, IU’s Latino cultural center.

“It’s a way of highlighting the range of material we have from those countries,” Johnson-Roehr said. “Students and others may not think of coming here to view material from Latin America, but we actually have quite a lot of it.”

Several works in the exhibit were produced by Cuban artist Emilio Sanchez, though pieces from other artists and materials from Kinsey’s library are on display as well.

“We received a large Sanchez gift a couple of years ago, and we thought it would be nice to display his work,” Johnson-Roehr said.

“Past/Present” and “La Vida Sexual” will be on display through Dec. 20.

“We think it’s kind of fun to do two exhibits,” Johnson-Roehr said. “We don’t have the luxury of having a lot of display space, but we make the best of what we have.”

Follow reporter Rachel Osman on Twitter @rachosman.