Trinidad-born artist Nicole Awai’s work centers around “the ooze.” What is the ooze, you ask? Both material and metaphorical, it encompasses the viscous media Awai uses, like synthetic polymers, and evokes the blurred boundaries of cultural, historical, and personal identity that she references in her work. “Awai’s practice ‘overflows’ traditional boundaries as it often interweaves elements from her Caribbean heritage with broader themes of globalization and diaspora,” writes Phillip A. Townsend, curator of UT’s Art Galleries at Black Studies. Awai’s work has referenced history ranging from Civil War monuments at UT-Austin and Grand Army Plaza in New York to Trinidadian folklore about the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, all while “foregrounding the transformative potential of the ooze,” writes Townsend. – Lina Fisher
Through Dec. 7
Art Galleries at Black Studies, 201 East 21st St., Jester A232