Tyrone Georgiou: Archeology Today Tomorrow

Tyrone Georgiou: Archeology Today Tomorrow, Burchfield Art Center, January 13-February 25, 1990

Tyrone Georgiou created a site-specific, temporary installation that incorporated an archeological motif utilizing architectural, sculptural, photographic, and computer graphic forms of expression to discuss cross-cultural ideas and their effects upon perception of magic, mythology, and history.
     The installation contrasted two distinct archaeological models of ritual and civic importance—one European and the other Pre-Columbian. Their proximity in the gallery facilitated comparison of shared elements and media.
     The inherent architecture of the Burchfield Art Center’s Main Gallery in Rockwell Hall is punctuated by pillars inside and announced by columns on the outside (which, importantly, are also visible from inside the gallery itself). These became referents in Georgiou’s piece.
     One section of the installation represented a recently excavated Greco-Roman temple, opening through columns to an interior chamber holding various photo-glyphs and artifacts. The photo-glyphs were repeated in the second half of the installation which was designed to represent an earthen mound group based on a Pre-Columbian model such as those in the Ohio River Valley. It contrasted two conical mounds, each approximately 10 feet in diameter and 6 feet high, sectioned with glass panels to reveal their “archeological” contents: bundles of photographs and sculptural objects having personal, ritual, and cultural significance.
      The installation developed Georgiou’s previous work with dioramas and models, presented ideas about photographic history, and addressed issues of contemporary society. Examples of Georgiou’s work are included in the Center’s collection and were on view in the adjacent Center Gallery. The installation also referred to the beginning of the artist’s professional career as a designer with the Architects’ Renewal Committee in Harlem. Georgiou subsequently moved to Buffalo where he has taught in the SUNY/Buffalo art department since 1972. Richard Huntington wrote the catalogue essay.

Review by Elizabeth Licata: https://buffalonews.com/news/artist-debunks-meaning-in-a-flow-of-media-slush/article_def75642-e579-5be0-9454-449d4accb42b.html