“Call me Ishmael” is the first line in Herman Melville’s classic tale of the sea, “Moby Dick.” It is also the name of North Dakota State University Assistant Professor of Art Donovan Widmer’s exhibit on display in the Dickinson State University Art Gallery in the lower level of Klinefelter Hall March 6-31.
Widmer transforms fishing tackle into jewel-encrusted artwork, forcing the viewer to think about the potential danger of attraction and addiction. Like fish drawn to shiny lures, humans also are drawn to things that initially bring pleasure but may ultimately bring pain.
“The denotation of jewelry as a type of lure is the result of materiality. The most blatant example is found in the assemblage of fishing lures and hooks. The refined beauty of the pedestrian object, coupled with the value of the materials forces the viewer…to choose between the irrational response to an addiction and the rational logic of the fear of pain,” said Widmer of his work.
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