EXHIBITIONS
A Look into the Creative Screenplay-to-Film Process:
Payton Burkhammer’s Lamest Place In The World Research Exhibit
On view May 21 - June 14, 2025
Opening Celebration: Friday, May 23, 2025 from 5:00 - 7:30PM
Celebrating the process of creativity and innovation, film writer and director Payton Burkhammer presents a look into her research for her first feature-length screenplay, Lamest Place in the World. Focusing on placemaking and the passage of time through women-led narratives, the screenplay explores some
of life’s pivotal questions: Is a person’s life directed by their choices, or is their fate inherent? How does one navigate an uncertain future? Would knowing the future provide peace of mind or create more personal conflict?
The Midwest’s landscapes, culture, and distinct charm inspired Burkhammer’s screenplay, which follows four college-aged characters on a road trip to unusual yet nostalgic small-town tourist attractions. Burkhammer scouted regional Ohio locations—like the World’s Largest Basket—to collect visual and cultural content, local history, and production notes. Payton Burkhammer’s Lamest Place in the World Research Exhibit includes photographs and tourist ephemera to create a montage unlocking a unique perspective into Burkhammer’s scriptwriting and worldbuilding.
“In my directorial approach, I strive for grounded realism, capturing people as they truly are in front of me. I believe in the transformative power of everyday conversations with the people we love and exploring how those interactions
can change our lives. I am drawn to authenticity and creating moments that feel so life-like you wonder if it was scripted.” — Payton Burkhammer
About the Artist Payton Burkhammer:
Payton Burkhammer is an award-winning indie film director based in Akron, Ohio. After graduating from The University of Akron, she produced videos for Downtown Akron Partnership and later was the Creative Content Manager for Amp Strategy. In 2023, Burkhammer was selected for the Cleveland Indie Film Incubator, and in 2024, her film The Back Of Your Eyelids won Best Narrative Film at the Highland Square Film Festival in Akron and the Audience Choice Award at the Short Sweet Film Festival in Cleveland. She is a founding member of Girl Set Cleveland, a group that provides free film production workshops to women, trans, and non-binary individuals. Her work has been featured at Cinema Columbus, Midwest Slam Fest, Standing Rock International Film Festival,
MTN Craft Film Fest, The Care Awards, and The Nightlight.
Explore the Many Concepts of God in Saloni Parekh’s Chaturanga
On view May 21 - June 14, 2025
Opening Celebration: Friday, May 23, 2025 from 5:00 - 7:30PM
Saloni Parekh’s Chaturanga is a conversation about religion and its positive consistencies in tandem with its divisive inconsistencies. Rooted in curiosity, it also asks playful questions like ‘What might god look like?’ Through paintings and multimedia installations, Chaturanga explores the intricate links between religion, politics, and personal devotion, weaving strategy with philosophy to mirror the complexities of faith and power. Confronted by extremism and its political entanglements, Parekh feels compelled to revisit the subtler concept of ‘god’ not as dogma, but as a symbol rich with historical, mnemonic, and emotional resonance on both global and deeply personal levels. Though Parekh’s imagery stems mainly from South Asian Hinduism and Islam, her pieces and their explorations do not strictly align with one particular religion; instead, they combine various understandings from different fields, including philosophy and science, to encompass values prioritizing inclusivity, engagement, innovation, ethics, and the transformative power of narrative in the digital age.
As part of Chaturanga, the CapSOUL gallery will feature Saloni Parekh’s "Houses on the Game Board Are On Fire,” a short film and interactive installation. This piece invites viewers to engage in a surreal game that challenges conventional religious narratives and explores alternative spiritual practices. By incorporating advanced AR and 3D technology, Parekh creates a virtual space that reflects the complexities of the divine as understood in South Asian traditions.
Saloni Parekh will hold a conversation about her exhibit Chaturanga during the opening reception on Friday, May 23, 5:00 - 5:30 PM. The artist talk and reception are free and open to the public.
“I seek to provoke thought on the virtue of religion, often overshadowed by greed and political influence. The rise in religious fanaticism and ethnonationalism accentuates the need for a fresh approach, prompting a reexamination of subtle concepts and questions such as, ‘What is God in a contemporary world?’ I delve into the consistency of religion while addressing the inconsistencies contributing to societal divisions to generate a new visual vocabulary for what God could be.” — Saloni Parekh
About the Artist Saloni Parekh:
Saloni Parekh is a South Asian visual artist who relocated to the United States in 2017. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Painting at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Saloni Parekh has a B.Sc. in Physics, followed by a B.F.A in Painting from Kent State University. Recently, she earned an MFA from the University of Tennessee. Her artistic practice spans a range of media, including painting, video, and sound. Parekh's artistic endeavors have been showcased in numerous institutions, including the Tennessee Valley Arts Museum, Tri-Star Arts, and the Elaine Bailey Augustine Art Gallery at the University of Northern Alabama. She is preparing for an upcoming exhibition at the CICA Museum in South Korea.
Anna Young’s Autobi-tography in Life is a F*cking Joke
On view May 21 - June 14, 2025
Opening Celebration: Friday, May 23, 2025 from 5:00 - 7:30PM
Anna Young debuts Life is a F*cking Joke, a series of bright experimental self-portraits using a hybrid of photography, print, illustration, and collage. The divergence from her traditional photography background mimics Young’s personal narrative, a necessary departure from the rigid traditions of her family’s church after embracing her queer identity. Over the past eight years, Anna Young has created caricatures of herself, using self-portrait photographs and life-cast sculptures to tell a personal story of trauma.
Young’s continual artistic reinvention implements humor and caricature to cope with anxiety, stereotypes, addiction, familial and societal trauma, body dysmorphia, shame, mortality, and personal mistakes through a hyperbolic lens. In Life is a F*cking Joke, party favors and facial expressions align with artwork titles like “I Don’t Feel Blessed,” creating a dichotomy of emotions, asking viewers to hold the fantastical fanfare with the deep, dark blue notes. Multilayered in metaphor and the human experience, the pieces are also physically layered with materials. Anna Young’s innovative methods include mounting photos onto wood panels, printing on transparent inkjet paper, layering with illuminated panels, adding hand-drawn illustrations, and incorporating text and collaged elements. Through this exhibition, she seeks to push creative boundaries and foster connections between art, humor, and healing.
“I want to break the stereotype of what photography can be… I am excited to continue exploring materiality in relation to my life experiences and creating images that add to my personal, humorous narrative. With this exhibition, I hope to inspire others to practice art to cope with personal trauma.” — Anna Young
About the Artist Anna Young:
Anna E. Young is an artist and arts advocate. She holds an M.F.A. in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a B.F.A. from the University of Akron, with minors in Printmaking, Art History, and Professional Photography. Young is an assistant lecturer at the University of Akron Myers School of Art in the 2D Design and Photography department. She is the co-founder of KINK Contemporary, an arts organization whose mission is to support emerging artists and curators. Artistically, she creates fine art photographs, prints, and silicone sculptures revolving around contemporary social issues, body dysmorphia, trauma, and mortality.
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