Wild Sight: Thomas Chimes on the Edge of the Rational

In the Richard C. von Hess Foundation Gallery and Study Center for Works on Paper, 3rd Floor, Frances M. Maguire Hall

This exhibition traces how Thomas Chimes (1921-2009) explored a constellation of figures drawn from myth and literature associated with the unknown and the irrational. Among them are the Greek god Hermes, the swift-footed messenger who moves between worlds; the satyr Pan, a son of Hermes and god of the wilderness; and the Cyclops, whose single eye suggests both limited and intensified vision. Chimes also turned to literary figures like "Le Mômo," the alter ego of Antonin Artaud (1896–1948), an avant-garde French writer who sought to break through the constraints of rational thought and language.

With these subjects and more, Chimes created a dialogue in which ancient myth and modern experimentation converge. "Wild sight" becomes both a subject and a method: a way of seeing that challenges the boundaries of reason while opening new possibilities for understanding the self and society. His work confronts what he understood as a void at the center of modern existence — one brought about by the disenchantment of the world — and invites viewers to expand their consciousness and embrace the unsettling insights of "wild sight."

Join us at 6 pm on June 24 for a Curator Talk. Register here!