Exposure 12 at Gallery 210 is overexposed, under-realized

The silence slowly wafts over a group of patient art seekers waiting for gallery doors to swing open.

After a long day of work, Gallery 210 director Terry Suhre emerges, smiling and greeting the first arrivals. Suhre, as always, has presented the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus with another incredibly complex show.

Filled with anticipation, students and faculty begin to file in and observe the work of three truly distinct modern artists. Each artist's unique angle proves just how vividly different human experience can be and the journey on which art takes the individual. The exhibit, subtitled "Implied Narratives: Paintings by Jamie Adams, Bill Kreplin and Kit Keith," features the artwork of three local artists.

The artworks are on loan from the Phillip Stein Gallery and the exhibit is exactly what the name describes: it pulls no punches, just hands you exposures.

This latest version of Gallery 210's annual "Exposure" art exhibit has no particular style of art presented.

Instead, it shows each artist's own niches and mediums. The artworks of Jamie Adams, Bill Kreplin and Kit Keith prove to be enigmas worth cracking.

Jamie Adams' smooth-brshstroke oil paintings favor the rich black and shaping grays that roll around his cinematic figures, revealing Adams' love for the "silver" in silver screen.

Quirky and arguably perverted, the images depict nudes such as a young stoic male artist unaware of the maturity depicted around him.

Though the work centers on the gaze of actress Jean Seberg from Jean Luc-Godard's 1959 film "Breathless," it says more about the artist's emotional reaction to film than a painting of still frames from a classic film.

Kit Keith is a strong local artist who reshapes found objects into self-directed portraits reflecting the female narrative.

Now, dream up images from early 1950's film noir and so-called modern man. Next, outline that dream in black strokes with interesting juxtapositions of figures and patterns, and you have Bill Kreplin's pieces in the exhibit.

Differing from the other artists in this exhibit in both intent and execution, Kreplin has mastered the complexities of printing art from a computer.

The depth of talent laden in this exhibition makes it worthwhile, but "Exposure 12" also gives the viewer nudity, introspection and 1950's Americana. What more could one desire?

The exhibition is between Aug. 27 and Oct. 10, so yes, there is still time to have a quick peek between classes.

Admission is free. Gallery 210 hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

"Exposure 12" is sponsored by The Department of Art and Art History at UM-St. Louis, The Center for the Humanities at UM-St. Louis, Missouri Arts Council, and The Regional Arts Commission. Contact the Gallery at 314-516-5976 or visit them online at http://gallery210.umsl.edu.