Blending metalwork, digital art and surreal ideas, Dylan Collins’ exhibit “My Dreams Have Running Water” invites visitors to see everyday objects in a completely new way until Oct. 31.
The mixed media exhibit is created by the first-place winner of “Of the Land,” organized by the Mid South Sculpture Alliance. “Of the Land” is dedicated to “the creative and visual expressions on the complex dialogue about land … such as sovereignty, stewardship, environmentalism, history, politics, and natural resources.” This award provided West Virginia artist Dylan Collins the opportunity to present a solo exhibit at the Lightwell Gallery at OU.
“It’s exciting to be part of this show at OU because it’s really been the highlight of my creative career,” said Collins.
The collection, located on the second floor in the Lightwell Gallery, features several of Collins’ mixed media sculptures that blend traditional and digital art, steel fabrication, blacksmithing and casting. His artwork aims to transform everyday items into whimsical and bizarre pieces that challenge preconceived notions of 21st-century life.
“I chose a variety of really iconic objects that I was recreating. So things like hunting trophies, school desks, imagery from the dollar bill, I wanted to choose really iconic things as the stuff that fascinated me,” Collins said.
The exhibit includes pieces such as “Inflationary Measures,” made by pyrography, laser engraving and paint on plywood, and “Nothing Happened,” a cast-aluminum school desk with engraving.
As an Appalachian resident, the title “My Dreams Have Running Water” resonates with Collins on a personal level.
“In Appalachia where there are extractive industries that poison the water, … It’s reflecting on the absurdity of … people without running water in the 21st century, which is wholly shocking,” Collins said.
The heart of “My Dreams Have Running Water” is what Collins calls “the collision of one stable, familiar belief system with the volatile realities of the 21st century.” For example, his piece, “Eagle Eye” depicts a surreal reinterpretation of the dollar bill.
“I think about the reality that when I open my wallet and I look at the dollar bill, I think about … the ornamentation, … it has this kind of resonance,” Collins said. “It’s just a piece of paper, so at the end of the day, what gives it value is our belief in it. And that’s a good thing, right? We all want to have these things that we believe in, just like we believe in people in our lives.”
Behind his artistic process is Collins’ background in welding, blacksmithing and metal fabrication. Collins graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2D Studio Art and a Master of Arts in Sculpture from Eastern Illinois University. He later received a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Kent State University.
“I’m a real metal guy,” said Collins. “Some of it is just kind of curiosity, like, ‘what can I do with these materials? How can I manipulate them?’”
Collins’ metalwork is seen in his “Hyper-Trophy” series, which reimagines hunting trophies with forged tree branches, steel diamond plate leaves and acorns mounted on cast rubber trophies against a red wall.
This exhibit is Collins’ first time displaying art in Oklahoma.
“Getting to connect with those (Oklahomans) … I find it very meaningful, …” Collins said. “The role of us, as artists, is that we kind of get to be an ambassador to bring your art to places. …That was really special, having the opportunity to be part of the culture in Norman.”
Through its artistic complexity, “My Dreams Have Running Water” explores the fleeting nature of existence and the growing sense of disconnection that defines contemporary life.
“I’m interested in picking apart and reassembling that belief system into new works of art that are part of this exhibit. I feel really fortunate in that way, …” Collins said. “I also feel like there’s really great things about art that ask questions more than just kind of dictates to you what you should see or feel or believe … I’ve always been a person who wanted to inject something playful into the world.”
“My Dreams Have Running Water” is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until Oct. 31 at Fred Jones Art Center Lightwell Gallery.
This story was edited by Madisson Cameron. Tori Pham and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
