Kameen’s exhibition being held at AU's Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art

By Ana Winters | Staff writer

The Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art on the Summerville Campus is showcasing the work from the artist and professor Joseph Kameen.

This exhibition, titled “A Slow and Gradual Change,” is based on personal and emotional parts of memory and experience.

“The works in this exhibition are based on personal experiences, with a focus on internal experiences like emotion and memory rather than literal events,” said Kameen, who teaches art at USC Aiken. “I'm interested in the way that when we remember something that happened to us we don't perfectly recall every factual aspect of the event.” 

This is shown through a combination of oil paintings and digital animation. Kameen invites everyone who comes to see his work to reflect on the ways we all remember and then reinterpret our own lives.

 “When we remember something that happened to us, we don’t perfectly recall every factual aspect of the event,” he said. “Rather, we recall a sort of story that we tell ourselves.”

This theme of personal storytelling is a main focus of  Kameen’s creative process. His pieces are created mainly from memory, and this allows for natural depiction and emotional creativity to really pull the final image together .

The result of this is having art that feels like it is both personal and universal, showing and encouraging viewers to see elements of their own lives in the art, from grief to joy and wonder.

“My hope is that as viewers look at the work, even though they may not have experienced the exact same events as me, they might recognize aspects of their own lives within the work, such as grief, solitude, or joy.” said  Kameen.

Kameen did not always plan on becoming an artist.

“I first got interested in art with the aim of working in the entertainment industry,” Kameen said. “As I studied and worked, I fell in love with traditional forms of art making, and transitioned into the fine arts.”

Kameen’s exhibit will be in the gallery until Jan. 2, 2026.

The Mary S. Byrd Gallery is located on the first floor of Washington Hall in the Department of Art and Design.

Note: At the top of the is Kameen’s oil on panel titled “Charades.”

Contact Ana Winters at anwinters@augusta.edu.