SUNY Oswego's Tyler Art Gallery opens its fall season with 'Rhino World Order,' an exhibition of large-scale ceramic and plaster sculptures by Buffalo-based artist Richard Tomasello. The show runs from September 2 to October 8, with an opening reception on September 5. Tomasello's work draws inspiration from Eugène Ionesco's 1959 absurdist play 'Rhinoceros,' using the rhinoceros as a metaphor for fascism and conformity. His sculptures address themes of physical assault, school shootings, mob mentality, toxic masculinity, and systemic violence, emphasizing the power of individual resistance. Related events include a panel discussion with the artist and gallery director Davana Robedee, and a student reading of the play.
The exhibition matters because it connects contemporary social issues—such as gun violence, toxic masculinity, and mob behavior—to a classic work of absurdist theater, offering a visual art commentary on the dangers of conformity and the hope found in nonconformity. By bringing a local artist's politically charged work to a university gallery, the show engages students and the community in critical dialogue about individual agency and societal pressures, reinforcing the role of academic art spaces in fostering civic discourse.