The University Gallery at East Texas A&M University is presenting Novel Toys, Tricks, and Games, a traveling exhibition by Texas art scene veterans, the Wheeler Brothers. The exhibition will be on view through February 28 in The University Gallery, located at 2005 University Dr. in Commerce.
Novel Toys, Tricks, and Games offers a fresh look at the Wheeler Brothers’ often humorous and sometimes acerbic reflections on the ethos and patho(logie)s of our moment. This exhibition offers a varied selection of their individual works as well as collaborative drawings and paintings between the brothers. The Wheeler Brothers stopped by KETR for an interview while in town for the show.
Audio transcript
Mark Haslett: It’s been a gray February here in Northeast Texas. If you’d like to add a flourish of color to the winter, you can do so with a visit to the University Gallery on the campus of East Texas A&M. The current exhibition is called “Novel Toys, Tricks, and Games.” The show presents paintings and other works by the Texas artists Bryan and Jeff Wheeler.
Melynda Seaton: I think it's a good example of contemporary Texas art.
Haslett: That’s Melynda Seaton, Art Gallery Director and Associate Professor of Art History. Seaton brought the exhibition to Commerce following its presentation at the Deborah Cotton Gallery in Houston, the McKinney Avenue Contemporary in Dallas, the Ro2 Art Gallery in Dallas, and the Underwood Center in Lubbock.
Seaton: I also thought it would be great to bring a little bit of West Texas to East Texas. Students could see what it's like.
Haslett: The art of The Wheeler Brothers reflects the bright vistas of their native West Texas. But these aren’t landscape paintings, at least not in the usual sense. A kind of constructed landscape does emerge from these big and colorful pieces. That terrain has as much to do with the things Texans have put onto the land as the land itself.
Seaton: I think like what shows up in their work is that we see that built environment that's become a big signature of West Texas, which is different from other places in Texas, if you travel the state. And like, recognizable type of objects that just kind of pop up because you can see them from a long way out.
Haslett: As for what you’ll see at the Gallery, it’s mostly paintings with some drawings, and a few ceramics by Jeff Wheeler. Brother Bryan Wheeler says that the styles of the two artists are easily distinguishable in their individual works. But, their styles are similar enough in spirit to complement well in the show’s collaborative pieces. Some of those are dramatic in size and scope.
Bryan Wheeler: We're both building kind of narratives with recognizable imagery, a lot of the times representational art -- we're drawing from the same sets of inspiration like western history, modern art. I think in a nutshell you could say that it's primarily collage-like work. Even where you know, a lot of the stuff is going to be painted and drawn instead of literally collaged. A style that has been called by others maximalist. So there's a lot going on usually in each piece.
Haslett: Jeff Wheeler features found items prominently in some of his works, and he doesn’t mind telling you that he didn’t start painting and drawing that way.
Jeff Wheeler: I'm not afraid to say I used to make fun of collage artists. Why can't they draw and paint what they want to do? And then I started collecting all these weird things like old vintage papers and catalogs and high school yearbooks. I enjoy the history that they already have. Not knowing why I had all this stuff. And then finally, just all of a sudden, one day, now I'm a collage artist.
Haslett: Sometimes the effect of the juxtaposition is whimsical. Sometimes, maybe disturbing. The mix of familiar and unfamiliar images can evoke a mood or perhaps tell a story.
Jeff Wheeler: I like the history that it imbibes the work with immediately. Just adds another point of reference for a narrative. And I just, I guess the main thing I like about it is being able to take things that are forgotten by others and then, and sifting it through my studio and then calling it art. And hopefully something that somebody wants to look at.
Haslett: Jeff has a gallery in San Antonio, while Bryan teaches at Texas Tech. But they find a way to keep returning to their collaborations. If you come see the show, you’ll probably see why.
Bryan Wheeler: We're serious about the work. But so much of it is about play. Making something out of nothing, bringing something into existing existence that didn't exist prior to that. Again, there's nothing that's not fun about that.
Haslett: This exhibition will be on view through Friday, Feb. 28. More about Jeff and Bryan Wheeler can be found at wheelerbrosstudios.com. The University Gallery is open weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Information at tamuc.edu. For KETR News, I’m Mark Haslett.
About the Artists
Originally from the Texas Panhandle, the Wheeler Brothers (Jeff and Bryan) emerged on the Texas art scene in the late 1990s with their “meta-regionalist,” irreverent, and genre-bending paintings, drawings, sculptures, and music. Since then, they have become fixtures, regularly exhibiting and curating exhibitions across the state, nationally, and internationally. They have also collaborated with many of the biggest names in Texas art. Many will recognize them through Ulterior Motifs, a series of ongoing exhibitions/happenings they have organized since the early 2000s that have featured Texas art legends such as (among many others) James Surls, Lucas Johnson, Sharon Kopriva, and The Art Guys.
Currently, Jeff lives and works in San Antonio, where, in addition to creating public murals, and the works seen here, he is the founder and director of C7 Gallery and co-founder and curator of the Echo Bridge Concert Series. Bryan maintains his studio in Lubbock, where he also records and produces music with his band, Los Sonsabitches, and is a lecturer at Texas Tech University.
About East Texas A&M University Art Galleries
The East Texas A&M University Department of Art reserves the University Gallery (1st floor, Art Building) for exhibitions featuring artworks by ETAMU students and nationally and internationally recognized artists and designers. The gallery also hosts graduate critiques, thesis reviews, and the Annual Juried Student Art Show held every spring.
Additional galleries include Wathena Temple Project Space (2nd floor, Wathena Temple Fine Arts Building) and the President’s Gallery (2nd floor McDowell Admin Building across from room 295). These two galleries feature solo and group exhibitions created by currently enrolled ETAMU students.
