November 9 – December 10

Ways of Being

A solo exhibition by Victoria Smits

280 Gallery Open Hours

Monday – Friday: 11am – 6pm
Saturday: 11am – 3pm
Sundays: Closed
Holidays: Closed

Exhibition Narrative

Victoria Smits, 2022

Our Way of Being in the world emerges from the attachment behavioral system within our family of origin. The social-emotional and interpersonal development inside the formative relationships of our first caregivers frames current and future engagement, linking theories on emotion regulation and personality. Ways of Being is a pedagogical exploration of the initial and extended impacts of attachment between a child and caregiver. In the revolutionary book, Ways of Seeing, John Berger clarifies the difference between looking and seeing, “The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight” (Berger, 1). By extension, seeing another human necessitates an awareness of complexities in identity rooted in attachment experiences. Our way of existing, of being, begins and forms inside this attachment relationship. This exhibition, with explorations in textile, video, sound, and sculpture, considers the artist’s way of being and elicits a discussion of the phenomenological awareness of ourselves. Understanding the antecedent factors to our current existence and its comparative knowledge elicits a profound effect on relationships. 

Photo Documentation by Verónica Rosas

Featured Work

Let’s Play

Painted foam

Sizes vary: largest: 4′ x 1′ x 2″

2022

Azulejos

Shared Inheritance

Wedding dress, dryer sheets, cheesecloth, thread

72″  x 64″

2021

On Becoming: Mother Worry – Mother Warrior

Avocado-dyed cheesecloth, poly, bisque-fired clay

6′ x 4′ x 3′

2022

Programming

Ways of Being: Conversations on Attachment

Thursday November 10

4:30-5:30 pm

This event will be hosted in room 319 in connection with SITE’s 280 Gallery

280 S. Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL

Join SITE Galleries for a dialogue between Victoria Smits, artist exhibiting in Ways of Being, and Dr. Kelley Munger as they discuss attachment theory, the ability of attachment styles to change over time, and how attachment intersects with others in relationships. A brief audience engagement will follow.

Dr. Munger holds a BA in English from Auburn University, an MA in Teaching from Lee University, and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Covenant Seminary. She completed her PhD in Early Intervention and Special Education at the University of Oregon in 2019. Munger is a researcher and licensed therapist working in the areas of trauma, adult attachment, special education, and human development.

Ways of Being will be on view in the SITE 280 Gallery from November 9th until December 10th.

*Persons with disabilities requesting accommodations should visit saic.edu/access

 

Opening Reception

Thursday November 10

5:30 – 6:30 PM

This event will be hosted in SITE’s 280 Gallery

280 S. Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL

Join SITE Galleries for the opening reception of Ways of Being, a solo exhibition by Victoria Smits.

Ways of Being will be on view in the SITE 280 Gallery from November 9th until December 10th.

*Persons with disabilities requesting accommodations should visit saic.edu/access

 

Address

SITE 280 Gallery
280 S. Columbus Dr. 
Chicago, IL, 60603

Open Hours

Monday – Friday: 11am – 6pm
Saturday: 11am – 3pm
Sundays: Closed
Holidays: Closed

 

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