TWO ARTISTS // TWO TALKS
HEAVYOCITY: David Kaiser & FAUX//Free: Bryce Oquaye
EKU Giles Gallery welcomes the new academic year with two comprehensive solo exhibits on view August 25 – September 18, 2025. The upper and mezzanine galleries feature HEAVYOCITY, a solo presentation of paintings by David Kaiser spanning 25 years. Spotlighted in the lower gallery is FAUX//Free, a powerful collection of digital illustrations and sequential art by Bryce Oquaye.
The public is invited to a free reception on Thursday, August 28, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. Kaiser and Oquaye will also give artist talks in the gallery on Thursday, September 4, at 5:00 p.m. EKU Giles Gallery is open 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Monday–Friday, when exhibits are on display. All gallery programming is free and open to the public.
EXHIBIT: August 25 – September 18, 2025
RECEPTION: Thursday, August 28, 5:00–7:00 p.m.
ARTIST TALKS: Thursday, September 4, 5:00–6:00 p.m.
HOURS: Monday–Friday, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (or by appointment)
ABOUT THE EXHIBITORS
From his Lexington studio, David Kaiser creates abstractions through a sustained process of dripping, layering, carving, and constructing. The paintings feature organic shapes and lush grounds, merging elements of drawing, printmaking, planning, and serendipity. Color emanates from beneath the surfaces, emerging through deep grooves cut into dried acrylic slabs. Thick chunks of paint, resembling rock fragments, are embedded on the canvas surface like geological specimens. In HEAVYOCITY, Kaiser demonstrates the elasticity of what “painting” can be. Kaiser earned an MFA and BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, focusing on painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture.
Bryce Oquaye, a Lexington-based illustrator, comic artist, and animator, blends hip-hop, anime, and street art into bold, narrative-driven visuals. Through his studio MADHUNDREDS, he creates original comics, animation, and illustrations that serve as social commentary on identity and culture. A resident artist at the Lexington Art League, Oquaye’s solo accomplishments include projects such as The Negro’s Guide to Peaceful Protest, Hard Justice, and Wardens Watch. In FAUX//Free, Oquaye examines the performance of freedom—the ways it is sold, staged, and swallowed. FAUX//Free melds cartooning, hip-hop aesthetics, and social critique to call out the gap between what we are told freedom is versus what it actually feels like.
ABOUT THE GALLERY
Founded in 1973, the EKU Giles Gallery serves both the campus and commonwealth with cultural programming in support of the arts and the region. The gallery is named for Fred Parker Giles, a professor of art serving Eastern Kentucky University from 1939 to 1964. The gallery showcases multidisciplinary creative work from artists of regional and national acclaim. EKU Giles Gallery is part of the School of Art & Design (SoAD) and the Institute for Creative & Collaborative Arts (ICCA). All gallery events are free and open to the public.
Follow us on Instagram @EKUGilesGallery
NAVIGATION ADDRESS
EKU Giles Gallery, 2396 Crabbe Street, Richmond, KY, 40475
PARKING
Free reception parking is available after 5:00 p.m. in the Crabbe Lot, directly across the street from the Campbell Building. Please be advised, the Crabbe Lot is a pay lot prior to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, payable via the Park Mobile App, Lot # 3355.
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