An ancient parable tells of six blind men who encounter a large elephant. Each man feels a different part of the elephant and defines what they are encountering based on their particular perspective: One man feels the elephant’s trunk and concludes it is bamboo; another touches the elephant’s ear and believes it to be a fan; a third feels the elephant’s leg and decides it is a pillar; and so on. The moral: Interpretation depends largely on your perspective and experience.

A new exhibition at Polk Museum of Art, Invisible Elephant, explores the parable through new artwork by Florida artists Theo Wujcik and Kirk Ke Wang. The exhibition will be on view from July 7 through October 13.

Wujcik, a master printer, was born in Detroit and is professor emeritus at the University of South Florida. Ke Wang, a painter, sculptor, photographer and mixed media artist, was born in Shanghai, China, and serves as professor of visual arts at Eckerd College.

Wujcik and Ke Wang first worked together last year in Visual Unity 2, an exhibition at Polk Museum of Art that paired artists to co-produce new works for exhibition. While collaborating on that project, they became deeply interested in each other’s national identity. Their two collaborative paintings and their individual pieces were woven into their cross-cultural grounding. For Invisible Elephant, Wujcik and Ke Wang are working individually to produce new works based on their unique perspectives in relation to the other’s cultural background.

The exhibition will be celebrated at a reception September 21. The artists will discuss their work beginning at 6 p.m., and a reception featuring light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar begins at 7 p.m. The event is free to Museum members and $10 for guests.

Polk Museum of Art
Summer Hours

Tues – Sat 10am – 4pm.
Closed Sundays, Mondays & major holidays.

Admission is $5 General, $4 Seniors, Students Admitted FREE.
Members and Children age 5 and Younger Admitted FREE.