Joe Batt drew a picture on a brick wall in downtown Olympia about a year ago. It was charcoal, life size—featuring a boy with a satellite attached to his head.
Batt, an artist and instructor at South Puget Sound Community College, has been meditating on the impact of Wi-Fi technology and devices on the culture and daily life. In a new exhibition at The Art Center at WSU Tri-Cities, he uses images like the one on the Olympia wall to provoke thought and inspire conversation.
Peter Christenson, WSU Tri-Cities assistant professor of fine arts and Art Center curator, said Batt’s work challenges “the unyielding adoration and praise of anything and everything electronic.”
It’s “clever and timely, questioning the role of technology in our lives and inviting us to witness the potential drawbacks, challenges and social implications that often accompany these ‘advancements,’ ” he said.
The show, called In the Cloud, runs through Feb. 26. It includes a mix of drawings and ceramic sculptures, many of which depict children using devices like smartphones and tablets.