October 26 - December 12, 2024

William Downs’ artwork explores themes of ambiguity and distortion viewed through repetition and representation of the human body. His drawings reveal “feelings of anxiety, fear, joy, angst” or desire with compositions inspired by Cezanne that appear dream-like or otherworldly. He often depicts “people who train their bodies to do inhuman things like run a marathon or bend and contort their bodies,” in surreal-like, panoramic scenes. Multiple figures are layered with warped perspective, creating contrasting areas of compositional ambiguity and sharp focus.

https://downtown.utk.edu/william-downs/