Glass panels with underlying topographic maps decorate the walls of Gallery 234, but it is the story behind the art that captures the viewer’s attention.
In “A priori,” artist Alex Gibson, tells the story of his friend, James, who disappeared in a remote area of Southeastern Alaska. The mystery of James’ disappearance took a strange twist, leaving Gibson perplexed.
In 2010, a Petersburg jury ruled James “probably” committed suicide, due to pieces of evidence such as a washed-up kayak on the Alaskan shore.
“That’s a big ‘probably’,” Gibson said about the court’s decision.
He believes there is a possibility James may still be alive somewhere, intentionally disappeared from society.
Gibson said though his beliefs are at odds with the larger accepted history of his friend’s disappearance, for him there is no evidence that acceptably supports the jury’s conclusion enough to contradict his own conclusion.
“For me, it’s not about coping, but more about legitimately believing in something,” he said.
Gibson used maps to tell the story of James’ life. Each panel features a composite document that depicts a specific time and place prominent to James: his hometown of Rock Springs; when he attended UW in Laramie; and Juneau, where James was convicted of raping a woman.
The rape adds certain gravity to the show.
“No one is perfect and it wouldn’t be truthful if I had left it out,” Gibson said.
The last glass panel in the series showed a map of Southeastern Alaska where James’ kayak was found.
Ashley Hildebrandt, Gallery 234 coordinator, said she found this panel to be powerful because of the large crack down the middle.
“That crack resembles the break between what is known and what is unknown,” Gibson said.
Gibson said his works of art were originally a research project to find information and to figure out what to believe.
The point of his show, he said, is to show belief in something different than what is accepted, accounting for a priori knowledge.
A priori means information collected without first-hand experiences and direct observation.
“I’m trying to address issues of belief and faith because those affect everyone’s decisions and how they navigate through life,” Gibson said.
He is now taking his art on tour to the locations prevalent in his friend James’ life; Laramie is the third stop on his tour, after Rock Springs and Centralia.
Hildebrandt thought it was really great to be approached by an artist who wasn’t associated with UW, because of the way Laramie ties into James’ story.
“There’s a lot more to this exhibit than just the story or just the art,” Hildebrandt said. “Taking the whole thing makes it really neat.”
