TASIMJAE 2019 winner Sajeela Siddiq from Lake Charles, La., with her entry “Zhalay
Siddiq wins Studio members show, earns solo exhibit
The annual TASIMJAE art show saw 35 works accepted out of 122 submissions.
First place was awarded to Sajeela Siddiq from Lake Charles, La., for her charcoal drawing “Zhalay.” As part of her prize, Siddiq will present a solo exhibition of her work in May 2020.
Second place went to Keri Stinnet for “Disillusion. Gabriel Sellers earned third place for his photograph, “Through a Glass Darkly No. 2.”
Honorable mentions were awarded to Chris Presley for “Contrast” and Grace Chadwick for “Being Here.”
In her juror’s statement, Caitlin Clay, registrar at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, said she was aware of three themes in the works she chose — Identity, Persona and Figure. The following is her juror statement:
Keri Stinnet’s “Disillusion” placed second at TASIMJAE 2019
“As I walked around the Art Studio on a cool, overcast Sunday morning, studying the artworks before me, these themes repeatedly crossed my mind. Nearly three-fourths of this year’s 122 entries included or alluded to the body. Before my arrival, I was filled with excitement to be this year’s juror for TASIMJAE, and I had not resolved to create a thematic show. However, the most outstanding works this year involved the above themes, resulting in a cohesive exhibition that examines local artists’ interest in the figure. Many realistically depict the human figure, while some deliberately obscure the physical body, and even others subtly examine form through their assemblage.
“Since the beginning of humankind’s ability to ascertain form and individuality, we as a species have been interested in recreating our physical likeness. This likeness is often linked to the abstracted soul, that which gives us personality and animation. It is interesting that both the words image and being are so intertwined, and that they are both defined in abstract and physical terms. Image can refer to both the physical likeness of an individual, as well as their reputation, while being alludes to both our physical state of existence and our very essence. I believe this year’s TASIMJAE is not just an exhibition of the human figure, but also a showcase of local artists exploring the relationship between image and being.
“In this year’s exhibition, we are presented with many examples of these explorations. We see the individual artist considering his or her position in our local community. We reflect on the meaning of the headless nude body, while also pondering the emotive face. We recognize the beauty in an abstracted line for a hand, a foot, a breast, while equally appreciating the purposeful omission of the human form in exchange for the symbolic allusion to it. The artists in this year’s show insist that we the viewers consider how we construct our identity through imagery and subsequently, what it means to be a person in our complex, contemporary world.
“I would like to thank several people who were key to the success of this exhibition. First, a great thanks to Dennis Kiel who suggested my name as a possible juror for this year’s TASIMJAE. Thank you also to Greg Busceme and his team at The Art Studio for being so welcoming and encouraging. And of course, a great big thank you to all the artists who submitted artworks for the exhibition. It was a joy seeing all your pieces, and I encourage those who were not selected to apply again next year.”
Clay is a Beaumont native who received her bachelor of arts in art history degree with a business concentration in 2016 from the University of Dallas. Her undergraduate thesis focused on Roy Lichtenstein’s use of appropriation throughout his career, with an emphasis on his interest in Cubism and Picasso.
In 2018, she graduated from Texas Christian University with her master of arts in art history degree with a specialization in modern and contemporary Art. Her master’s thesis explored glass-blowing as an art practice and examined our contemporary definition of sculpture through a comprehensive study of Dale Chihuly’s artworks.
Clay has presented papers at Ohio University, the University of Texas at Tyler, and Southern Methodist University. She has also interned at the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the National Heisey Glass Museum, and The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology.