Trak shows whimsy with 'Vicious Pink'

A man's torso covered in pink vaginas sits against one of the gallery's white walls.

It is just one of many pink islands of art that dot the smooth granite floor. On one section of wall are four pink DVD players displaying images of a dancing woman. Across the room a quartet of rotary telephones lie on the ground, surrounded by coils of phone cord travelling up to the roof.

On another wall is a television screen filled with looping video of a woman falling to the ground.

Vicious Pink is an exercise in crossing boundaries and redefining the meaning of a color.

Every piece here is worth the trip down to 800 Exposition Avenue in Dallas to see, and you have until Jan. 20 to see them. But the broader story here isn't the exhibit; it's Centraltrak itself.

Centraltrak director Charissa Terranova, assistant professor of aesthetic studies, said the gallery and student residence moves the campus downtown and gives UTD a stake in the rejuvenation of Dallas."

"UTD is growing. It used to just be known as a tech school, but now it has one of the best arts programs in the metroplex. As Dallas itself becomes a cultural hub, our University has expanded its horizons as well," Terranova said. "(Centraltrak) is UTD's embassy in downtown Dallas."

Centraltrak has only been around since April 2008. Eight graduate students, four of them students at UTD, live and work here in fully furnished apartments. With their basic needs met, these up-and-coming creators are free to devote themselves fully to the pursuit of their craft.

"It might be the best scholarship opportunity for artists in the Metroplex," Terranova said "Centraltrak raises the bar for UTD's art grad students."

The gallery hosts a wide variety of exhibitions from artists both local and international.

Centraltrak provides UTD art students and alumni with opportunities to get their work out there, as well as chances to connect with the art world.

"It is UTD's embassy in downtown Dallas," Terranova said.

Florencia Levy of Argentina will be at Centraltrak on Jan. 31 to introduce her newest project.

This exhibition showcases DFW's automotive way of life and features Levy's documentation of the Metroplex highway commutes. "Commute Portraits" will show us daily lives through the camera lens of an outsider.

A Wim Wenders Film Festival, Symposium on the "Cyborg Manifesto", and a massive "Carnivale" celebration are planned for the first quarter of 2009.

You can check online at www.centraltrak.org to see a full listing of their upcoming events.Centraltrak is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.