University at Buffalo (UB)
October 25–December 7, 2002
Gary Nickard
Reinhard Reitzenstein
Contact UB Art Galleries for exhibition brochure
Let the Work Begin: Theatrum Chemicum is a collaborative installation by Gary Nickard and Reinhard Reitzenstein, UB professors in the Department of Visual Studies. The work grew out of their shared interest in the hermetic art of alchemy with its arcane symbolism and intertwining of chemical exploration with mysticism, as well as dramatic psychoanalytic implications. Considering the interpenetration of alchemy, art and science, the artists transform the first floor and Lightwell galleries into a staging area for scientific experiments complete with enigmatic diagrams and formally appealing testing equipment such as glass tubes.
Catalog available with essay by Henry Sussman, Julian Park Professor of Comparative Literature at the University at Buffalo, and statements by Nickard and Reitzenstein.