History rewritten in lines

Hamilton, Ohio – Sometimes the questions matter more than the answers.

“I want to create dialogue,” said artist Fatima Taylor of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. “I don’t want to find answers, necessarily. I want an open dialogue that helps raise questions.”

Taylor’s solo show - part of the larger Push & Pull exhibition at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts - opened February 14. Her work is physically large. It encompasses ideas even bigger than the pieces.

“As a maximalist artist, I rely on intricate, laborious details to tell my story,” according to the artist’s statement for pieces hanging in the Bever North gallery and surrounding corridors. “These details are crucial, as my large-scale paintings and sculptures are composed of thousands of lines, each a small imprint of my consciousness.”

Taylor grew in Uzbekistan during the late Soviet and post-Soviet period before emigrating to the United States in 2001. Now teaching studio art at Ohio University while pursuing a PhD in art history and philosophy, she funnels a deep reservoir of perspective into her work.

“Repetition appears both in the details of each piece and in the broader concerns of the work, yet these issues remain current and unresolved,” she said. “What are we learning from history, and how are we translating that knowledge into meaningful change?”

The physical enormity of Taylor’s art can overwhelm a viewer. Intentionally.

“Increasing the scale is a big part of it,” Taylor said. “Standing next to them, you feel smaller than you are.”

That feeling of being small echoes her experience growing up under an authoritarian regime. And it leads to the questions she continues to explore through art.

“I have always found the human form fascinating for conveying emotions,” Taylor wrote in her artist’s statement. “However, my work extends beyond portraiture; it is rather a testament to the lived experiences and shared memories that define our connections with one another.

“Shaped by my upbringing … my artistic exploration has become deeply personal. This has led me to explore themes of control, power dynamics, and the roots of authority, particularly the role of fear. While personal experience inspires my work, it also challenges contemporary societal values and current events.”

The Push & Pull exhibition is on view in the Monument, Riverview, Bever West and Bever North galleries at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts through March 27. Galleries are always FREE and open to the public.

Hours run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, on selected weekend in conjunction with performance events and by appointment. Guests may arrange field trips or guided gallery tours by writing Director of Exhibitions Cathy Mayhugh at cathy@fittoncenter.org.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

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