Dallas artist and TCU MFA candidate Doug Land used his thesis exhibition to explore the relationship between man and the natural world.  

Land used gardening as his muse to create an installation made from cloth, wax, neon and charred wood. 

“For me, the act of gardening is a devotional challenge, forcing me to confront notions of beauty, wealth, class, even death,” said Land.

The title of the exhibition was named “FOLLY,” and explored the notions of our ruinous folly and our role as humans to change it, said Land. 

“Building site-specific installations, both indoors and outdoors, I highlight our strange sense of societal values tied to our codependent relationship with Nature,” said Land. 

TCU gallery manager, Lynné Cravens, said MFA shows are different from the other shows in the Moudy Gallery because graduate students are very much in charge of their entire installation. 

Cravens had discussions with Land last semester about the cloth panels and how to string them across the gallery without sagging down. He needed a thinner fabric to maintain the straight lines, she said.

Cravens knew Land prior to TCU because he worked in the Dallas/Fort Worth art scene. She said this was a very different installation for him compared to what he would have made prior to graduate school.

The four theses shown this semester are each unique. Land’s installation is the furthest from a traditionally hung gallery, which allowed him to alter the space. 

Land’s ideas are still appropriate to the theme of man and nature, but the materials and aesthetics are completely different, said Cravens. Those conversations for him have evolved and turned into a more direct conversation outdoors, she said.

The physical gallery show ran from March 14-19, but the show is still available virtually. 

View the Moudy Gallery calendar of upcoming events here.