Student Surrealist Art Exhibit
“Obsession, Disintegration and Reinvention”
Initiated in 1985, this annual juried art exhibition presents work by Pinellas middle and high school students that explores ideas and visions similar to those of Salvador Dalí and the surrealists. This year’s theme is “Obsession, Disintegration and Reinvention.”
Pinellas County: January 11 – February 23
Hillsborough County: March 8 – April 27
Statewide: May 10 – August 3
Salvador Dalí underwent key transformative stages throughout his life, encompassing periods of obsession, disintegration and reinvention, all reflected in his artistic style, techniques and self-expression. With these broad themes, The Dali Museum invites students to explore one or more of these concepts in their own artwork.
Dalí was renowned for his obsessions, ranging from his Catalan landscapes to Millet’s painting The Angelus to his wife, Gala. These obsessions pervade his art and writings, with some persisting throughout his life. Dalí’s obsessions fueled his creative genius. Obsession invites students to reflect on and visually explore their key fixations.
Following the dropping of the atomic bomb, Dalí became fascinated with the concept of disintegration. Disintegration implies the fragmentation of a subject, which Dalí represented visually through dissolution and pixelation. The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (1954) is a reinterpretation of his celebrated 1931 work The Persistence of Memory. He literally shatters his original composition, indicating how the world had changed. Disintegration challenges students to explore how an object or concept can be decomposed visually.
Reinvention is at the core of Dalí’s persona and art. Fleeing Europe during World War II, Dalí reinvented himself to appeal to the American public. Turning his back on modern art, he drew inspiration from the Renaissance and Catholicism, and he rebranded himself through his iconic symbols like his mustache and melting clocks. Reinvention invites students to reflect on how change can be expressed visually, whether relating to their personal identity or the essence of their subject.
The Student Surrealist Art Exhibitions, Competition and Receptions are funded by a generous gift from an anonymous donor and in part from a program endowment fund established by the Craig and Jan Sher Philanthropic Fund. Additional support for this educational program comes from our Museum corporate partner Bloomin’ Brands.
This exhibit is held in the Raymond James Community Room on the ground floor of the Museum. Access to the Museum’s ground floor is free and open to the public. The Raymond James Community Room occasionally closes for private events, in which case, the exhibit will not be accessible.