An exhibition by new West Texas A&M University art faculty member Younus Nomani highlights the power of words. “Lost & Found” by Nomani will be on view from Oct. 28 to Nov. 30 in the Dord Fitz Formal Art Gallery in WT’s Mary Moody Northen Hall. An opening reception was held at 5 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Nomani is the newly hired assistant professor of graphic design in the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance at WT’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. The exhibition “comes from an interest in foundational questions, like how art is realized or how words are realized, and as soon as they are, they’re forgotten.”
“In this exhibition, I want to investigate why knowledge exists like this and why it’s temporary,” Nomani said.
Nomani’s drawings, videos, audio works, photographs and collages are all inspired by language that the Delhi native, who speaks three languages himself, has observed since moving to America about four years ago, particularly in urban areas.
“This exhibition is the documentation of words and conversations I’ve collected while living in America,” Nomani said. “I have tried to visualize a distinctive form of urban existence in a state of limbo between lost and found, playing on the temporal property of the language found in cities. You just see the words without any context so that you can see what they really are.”
The exhibition displays the graphic designer’s inquisitiveness in contextual design instead of commercial design.
“The problem with a lot of commercial design is that a lot of it tends to be bad design,” Nomani said. “It looks fancy. There are good aesthetics. But it’s not accessible to people. Contextual design sees how the user will use the design. It focuses on the user’s needs as opposed to what commercial design is, which is obsessed with profit.”
Jon Revet, WT’s Doris Alexander Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts and art program director, said Nomani’s willingness to create an exhibition during his first-semester teaching at WT is “almost as impressive as his artwork.”
“Younus blurs the line between graphic design and contemporary art, and his ability to break down these walls is a fresh breath of air,” Revett said. “Younus’s work will inspire our students to push boundaries. His combination of media exemplifies the current mode of art and design, and his talents are on full display.”
Fitz Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. It is open by appointment on Fridays and Saturdays. To schedule an appointment, email [email protected]. For a complete look at WT’s 2024-2025 art calendar, click here.
An appreciation of the arts is critical to the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World, fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. One West reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in Sept. 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, One West has raised nearly $160 million.
