April 1, 2024
by Brenda Softbrick, Bricklyn Eagle Arts & Literature Correspondent
An exciting new exhibition is now on view at the Bricklyn Museum of Art.
Titled “Boundless Perspectives: Exploring the intersection of Form and Imagination,” the exhibition includes new AI generated works by renowned Bricklyn artists Jonas Tiler Jones and Frances B. Ireland.
On entering, visitors are confronted with a pair of unsmiling, blindfolded LEGO heads placed in front of a giant, translucent, donut-shaped sculpture.
The creation of Bricklyn conceptual artist Jonas Tiler Jones, visitors are encouraged to don semi-permeable blindfolds while encountering the piece.
Jones’ work, titled “Blindfolded,” demands your attention, and calls to mind the complexities of perception and the unseen narratives that lie beneath the surface. Or perhaps from a more alimentary point of view, Jones’ work represents the sadness of not being able to find the donut you most desire.
Centering the adjoining gallery is a vibrant AI tableau of intertwined sheafs of fabric by Bricklyn artist Frances B. Ireland (aka “The FBI”). “Untitled #2,” along with The FBI’s surrounding textile art displayed on the gallery walls, offer a kaleidoscope of colors and textures that beckon us to lose ourselves in their intricate embrace.
In Untitled #2, The FBI weaves the wind with her work, inviting us to contemplate the interconnectedness of our experiences, memories, and emotions — all bounded by the tracks our lives have taken.
Also on view is another recent FBI work, “Bricks & Train.” It’s a towering display of woven LEGO bricks, crowned by a blue express train hurtling down a precarious slope.
Is The FBI inviting us to embrace the spirit of play and possibility? Or is she warning us of the dangers of Bricklyn’s new high-speed rail service? Or is their some other message Bricks & Train imparts? The FBI leaves it to each visitor to draw their own meaning from the work.
Boundless Perspectives is on view through September 30, 2024.
Frances B. Ireland (aka “The FBI”) at work in her Bricklyn studio. Her late grandfather was a career FBI agent, who also loved painting and drawing. The “fortuitous” initials of her name led Ms. Ireland to honor her grandfather by using “The FBI” as her artistic pseudonym. ✥
We welcome Letters to the Editor. Please email to: bricklynvt@gmail.com
To the Editor: I saw the exhibit last week and have to say: I DON’T GET IT. I put on those blindfolds and stumbled around. Almost collided with the donut. But what’s the point? And that so-called art with the train about to crash. I like to take train rides, and really love the new Brickstar service. The last thing we need to promote in Bricklyn is trains crashing. Why couldn’t the artist at least have a train that’s not going to make people afraid to ride them. — Les B. Moore, South Bricklyn
To the Editor: Bravo to The Bricklyn Eagle for covering the dynamic art scene that’s been developing in our Realm. What talented artists in this show! I really love The FBI’s work, and also found the conceptual art piece by Jonas Tiler Jones fascinating. So much to enjoy and think about. The Bricklyn Museum of Art is definitely on the right track! — Sandy Tiler Sanders, Bricklyn Jct.
To the Editor: The modern art exhibit in Bricklyn is so nouveau. I am enthralled and am sure someone could write a 20 page essay analyzing how the art moves toward a vortex. What is the deeper meaning? — Nancy S., Vermont
