New WT Art Exhibition Puts Spotlight on Language, Design

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — An exhibition by a new West Texas A&M University art faculty member will highlight the power of words.

“Lost & Found” by Younus Nomani will be on view Oct. 28 to Nov. 30 in the Dord Fitz Formal Art Gallery in WT’s Mary Moody Northen Hall. An opening reception is set for 5 p.m. Nov. 7.

Photo:Younus Nomani

Nomani is the newly hired assistant professor of graphic design in the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance in WT’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities . He said the exhibition “comes from my interest in some foundational questions, like how art is realized or how words are realized, and as soon as they are, they’re forgotten.”

“In this exhibition, I want to investigate why knowledge exists like this, and why it’s temporary,” Nomani said.

Nomani’s drawings, videos, audio works, photographs and collages all are inspired by language that the Delhi native, who speaks three languages himself, has observed since moving to America about four years ago, particularly in urban areas.

“This exhibition is the documentation of words and conversations I’ve collected while living in America,” Nomani said. “I have tried to visualize a distinctive form of urban existence in a state of limbo between lost and found, playing on the temporal property of the language found in cities. You just see the words without any context so that you can see what they really are.”

The exhibition reflects the graphic designer’s interest in contextual design, as opposed to commercial design.

“The problem with a lot of commercial design is that a lot of it tends to be bad design,” Nomani said. “It looks fancy. There are good aesthetics. But it’s not accessible to people. Contextual design sees how the user will use the design. It focuses on the user’s needs as opposed to what commercial design is, which is obsessed with profit.”

Jon Revett, WT’s Doris Alexander Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts and art program director, said Nomani’s willingness to put together an exhibition during his first semester teaching at WT is “is almost impressive as his artwork.”

“Younus blurs the line between graphic design and contemporary art, and his ability to break down these walls is a fresh breath of air,” Revett said. “Younus’s work will inspire our students to push boundaries. His combination of media exemplifies the current mode of art and design, and his talents are on full display.”

Fitz Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and by appointment Fridays and Saturdays. Email  jrevett@wtamu.edu .

For a complete look at WT’s 2024-2025 arts calendar,  click here .

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World .

That plan is fueled by the historic  One West  comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: "The Fall of Icarus" (yes, it's supposed to be upside down) is one of the works on view in “Lost & Found” by Younus Nomani from Oct. 28 to Nov. 30 in the Dord Fitz Formal Art Gallery in WT’s Mary Moody Northen Hall. An opening reception is set for 5 p.m. Nov. 7.

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