Enjoy Yugen, a mixed media exhibit of poetry and paintings that explores the way those two mediums inform and expand each other. This exhibit uses words collaged on acrylic paintings to transform the expressions of the artist's mind as he explores such themes as nostalgia, emotions, and the human condition. This way, the poetry expands on the paintings while the paintings show what words cannot. For more information, please contact 305-625-6424 or noelp@mdpls.org. All ages.
Yugen by Daniel Medina uses a mix of poetry and painting to elevate each medium and allow dialogue between them as he explores such themes as nostalgia, memory, emotions, the human condition, and the ways we connect with the world through our awareness.
He chose, as Jack Kerouac coined it, “American Pop Haiku” as his form of poetry. Medina shows how Haiku allows the expressions of mind, emotion, and action allows the reader to transcend beyond the “I” of the poet and sit in the safe space of their subjective truth. Along with these poems, Medina includes quotes and excerpts from a variety of writers and sources to create a collage of words and meaning for the readers to connect with.
These quotes and poems are then integrated into the acrylic paintings to let them give meaning to the paintings while letting the paint speak beyond the words. Y?gen is a Japanese word to denote the subjective awareness a human being can have of the world and the cosmos, but words cannot effectively express the experience. Words are heuristic; they approximate in describing, recording, or memorializing what we experience, feel, think, and write—but fall short—often terribly. Paint transcends as sounds do and transports the audience into the place where words are transcended, and other sensations take it from there.
Throughout the run of this exhibit, there will be programming involving live jazz and electronica to tie in sound to art and bring in all the senses.
Dr. Daniel Medina has 15 years of experience in education. He is a highly effective educator skilled in teaching high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Extensive experience in higher education and adult learning has been marked by success. Attention to student needs, learning outcomes, and departmental objectives are deemed non-negotiable. He is recognized as a professional educator, innovative teacher, dependable colleague, and staunch student advocate.