WHAT: Dislocation/Relocation/Diaspora: The Art of Hamid Kachmar

WHEN: Exhibit opens Thursday and continues through Dec. 4.

WHERE: Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, UNC, Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum

ADMISSION: Free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. For information, call 962-9001.

OTHER INFORMATION: Kachmar will attend an opening reception at 7 p.m. Thursday. His work will be for sale.

By Cliff Bellamy

cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744

CHAPEL HILL -- Throughout the 2009-10 academic year, UNC is exploring the theme of diaspora, the movement of people of different national origins across the globe, in a series of performances, lectures and other events. The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History also is sponsoring programming that examines issues related to the African diaspora that dovetails with the campuswide exploration of that theme.

The Stone Center's programming is titled "Passion and Remembrance: Dislocation/Relocation/Diaspora," which includes the ongoing Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film. The center's observance continues Thursday with the opening of the exhibit "Dislocation/Relocation/Diaspora: The Art of Hamid Kachmar."

Kachmar was born in Morocco of Berber ancestry and now lectures on experimental studio and mixed media techniques at Howard University in Washington. He received his undergraduate degree from Meknes University in Morocco and his MFA from Howard.

On his web site, Kachmar cites three forces that "drive and form the essence of my creative process." These are Kachmar's fascination with the past, his desire to create art that is responsive to its time and space, and his desire to "create an art that transcends cultural, temporal and geographical boundaries." In keeping with the diasporic theme, he makes reference on his site to "my continuous translocations."

Kachmar, a mixed-media artist, draws inspiration from his native Morocco, particularly the woven textiles of his birthplace. His works make extensive use of wood, leather, goatskin, silkscreen methods and cloth.

Viewers can see that inspiration in the 31 works that will be on view at the Stone Center. A preview of the exhibit reveals a collection that exudes warm, earthy colors, with lots of reds and browns.

A walk-through also shows how the artist uses materials to create intricate, complex works that invite multiple viewings. "Africanium," a 2007 mixed media work on canvas, uses cloth, along with pieces of spoons, dippers and pottery shards. "The Griot," a mixed media work on masonite, also makes use of spoons. A series of scrolls, titled "Scrolls 1," "Scrolls 2" and "Scrolls 3," are elongated pieces of cloth with metal and paint.

This exhibit also has a series of three mixed media on canvas works: "The Visionary," "The Rebellious" and "The Meditative" (all 30 inches by 48 inches). All three pieces feature a human head, with written symbols. The pieces are displayed together, with "The Visionary" looking to the left, "The Rebellious" looking up, and "The Meditative" looking down and pondering.

"Shield" and "Intertwined" reflect Kachmar's interest in weaving. "Shield" is a painted weaving stretched on a painted frame," and "Intertwined" features mixed techniques, with a painted white figure on a brown background.

"Juxtapositions," one of the larger works in this show, is a complex piece using wood, fabric and leather placed on a piece of masonite. Each piece of wood or fabric is variously lashed with fibers or painted.

Visitors to the Kachmar exhibit will receive a free booklet further explaining the work, said Olympia Friday, public relations officer for the Stone Center. For the first time, the center will offer visitors to the Kachmar exhibit a service called "guide by cell." Visitors will be able to listen to a recording of Kachmar himself discussing each work on their cell phones by accessing a certain number. The Stone Center plans to extend that service to future exhibits, Friday said.

For more information on remaining screenings in the Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film, visit www.unc.edu/depts/stonecenter