Last Friday in the Charlotte Observer (8/15), writer Barbara Schreiber highlighted ‘Denisovan’, now on view in Pease Gallery, in her monthly gallery roundup:

Denisovan

In 2010, researchers discovered bone fragments in Siberia’s Denisova Cave; these fragments were identified as the remains of a young girl of a previously unknown Homo sapiens subspecies.

Heather Freeman, a UNC Charlotte art professor, used this discovery as the jumping-off point for her interactive book “Denisovan.” You can (and should) download the app at denisovan.blogspot.com, but at Pease Gallery you can view the project in the form of large-scale digital prints.

These prints underscore that “Denisovan” is not dependent on technology – it is, at its core, a story. Whether experienced as an app, a physical book or an exhibition, “Denisovan” is quiet and intense. Filled with contradictory emotions, it includes observations on maternal exhaustion, cruelty and love.

“Denisovan” is a complex journey through the idea of what it means to be human. It is deeply researched and deeply felt. Freeman has the confidence not to let her research override her project’s emotional power.

Central Piedmont Community College; blogs.cpcc.edu/cpccartgalleries; 704-330-6211; through Sept 4.

Read the full piece here.

Please join us for a lecture by the artist on August 28 in Pease Auditorium at 4 p.m.!