The opening reception for the Wellin Museum’s Fall 2016 Exhibition, Senses of Time: Video and Film-Based Works of Africa, was held on Saturday, September 10th. Senses of Time features eight works by Yinka Shonibare MBE, Sammy Baloji, Sue Williamson, Moataz Nasr, Berni Searle, Jim Chuchu, and Theo Eshetu. All seven artists explore themes of relative time, contemporaneity, and identity.

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Due to the nature of the show’s medium, Senses of Time is simultaneously on display at the Wellin Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. The two pieces exclusive to the Wellin’s exhibition are Jim Chuchu’s Invocation (2015), a two-part work, and the most recent iteration of Theo Eshetu’s Brave New World III (2016). Invocation: Severance of Ties and Invocation: Release address the complexities of time across generations and personal identity in the context of traditional culture. Theo Eshetu’s piece uses video, mirrors, and sound to represent a universe of infinite time and intercommunicating ideas.

Over 350 guests attended the opening including Hamilton College students, faculty, alumni, and local community members. After viewing the exhibit visitors gathered in the Archive Hall to discuss the artworks. One guest, Hamilton student Tulia Day ‘18, described the exhibition as “meditative, a spiritually immersive experience that spoke to me and said something not translatable in words.”

Senses of Time will be on view through December 11, 2016.