SUNY Oneonta’s Martin-Mullen Art Gallery will feature the work of Detroit-based artist Robert Mirek in an exhibition opening Thursday, Feb. 2.

An internationally recognized artist, Mirek has exhibited his work in London, Paris, Rome, Montreal, Barcelona, Havana and Moscow, among many other cities. He will visit SUNY Oneonta to give an artist’s talk from 3:30 to 4:30 in Room 166 near the gallery in the Fine Arts Building. A reception with music by the college’s Jazz Ensemble and refreshments will follow the talk from 5 to 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Titled “Robert Mirek: Bodies of Work,” the exhibition will feature 61 low-relief sculptural objects from six series of work created with a range of mixed materials: Oil on Panel Series, Wood Painting Series, Hematite Series, Scorched Paper Series, Rubber Constructions and Upanished Series.

“The current imagery can best be explained as simultaneous,” Mirek said of the series. “The visual language that I’m speaking is a form of self-dialogue that resides in objects, systems and scenarios that are at the edge of abstraction. Understanding them is less important than sensing their intrinsic nature. Developing the imagery is a non-linear, intimate logic. I work in a thought process that keeps as many doors open as possible. The conceptual connections, which eventually become visual signals, are drawn in collaborative moments. The objects have origins in human, geologic, mythic or universal themes. They are meant to suggest.”

The show runs through March 16. Hours are weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. while classes are in session.

More information about the exhibition is available from Tim Sheesley, gallery director, at (607) 436-3456. Images of Mirek’s work are available here.