Surrealistic Views of Life, an art exhibition featuring paintings by Dr. William Roy, a nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering lecturer at the Grainger College of Engineering, will be on display at the Illini Union art gallery in Urbana from June 5th through June 28th. Roy, who works professionally in engineering, is also a local artist whose surrealist works draw from reality and imagination.
This exhibition matters because it highlights the intersection of science and art, showing that creativity and technical expertise can coexist. It challenges the boundaries between academic disciplines and demonstrates that artists can emerge from unexpected fields, broadening the definition of who can be an artist and what subjects inspire art.