There is no doubt that we all have experienced our fair share of perspective in the last year-and-some-change. Analogous to the clear and present threat we have been attempting to elude is a plague of uncertainty. Plans ceased. Expectations slipped. We continue to face the challenge of reimagining how we function. Lines are now blurred. There are still more difficult questions to be answered. So what exactly is this moment, this present, this now? Has time been forever altered? If so, maybe it is not such a bad thing?

We now find ourselves near-ish to the exit of the proverbial tunnel, and I am here considering how we will consolidate and distill what we have collectively experienced. As an eternal optimist, I choose to focus on the ingenuity, resilience, adaptability, and fluidity we necessarily embraced to progress. I honestly believe we will ultimately step into the light with fewer edges.

A Fluid & Emphatic Now provides a selection of works by several artists living and working across America. For many, this is their debut showing in Nashville. This exhibition portrays a varied range of subject matter and mediums. Photographs, paintings, drawings, sculptures, fiber, and digital works, as well as objects that settle somewhere in between, are all represented on the wood-paneled walls of BOBBY Hotel. Because of the rich eclecticism and dense visual language that exalts in this space, I felt it necessary to choose bold, finely crafted, eye-catching work with commanding allure. The specific placement of each selected piece delineates visual pathways and provides punctuations through the optical overload of BOBBY’s decadence.

Beyond their rich aesthetic presence, the artworks in this exhibition are in a cooperative and contextual conversation. Some pieces relate more readily, while others further removed by formal quality contribute to the thematic foundation in more subtle ways. These works inherently speak to our present moment of emphatic fluidity by reimagining traditional disciplines or by simply evading them altogether. They are contemporary and welcome a soft definition. They are bright, intriguing, colorful, and masterfully executed. This exhibition visually articulates my optimism, wonder, and belief in our versatility as humans. I sincerely hope that whoever experiences this collection of work will come away feeling enriched and emphatically fluid.