ADA, Okla. – East Central University’s Pogue Art Gallery will present Roost, an immersive installation by visiting artist Olivia Hinkel, Aug. 13 through Oct. 1.

Hinkel will discuss her work during an Artist Talk and closing reception Thursday, Oct. 1, from noon to 1 p.m. inside the Pogue Art Gallery.

Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hinkel is an interdisciplinary artist and maker whose work explores mortality, labor, ability and autonomy. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and English from Hanover College in 2013 and a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studio Art from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2023.

Hinkel’s work frequently examines the tension between the desire for self-sufficiency and an awareness of personal limitations. Drawing in part from her experiences as a woman living with chronic illness, she works across a variety of media to consider questions of independence, vulnerability and the limits of the body.

In Roost, Hinkel transforms the gallery through an immersive environment composed of more than 100 light boxes arranged to evoke the movement of starling murmurations. Researchers believe starlings murmurate in part as a visual invitation for other birds to gather and roost, allowing them to share resources and gain protection from predators.

Using this natural phenomenon as its foundation, Roost invites visitors to gather, commune and rest. The installation emphasizes the power of collective movement while recognizing the importance of each individual within a larger community.

Roost will remain on view through Oct. 1 in ECU’s Pogue Art Gallery. The Artist's Talk and closing reception will provide visitors an opportunity to hear directly from Hinkel about the ideas, processes and experiences informing the exhibition.

For more information about the Pogue Art Gallery and exhibitions at ECU, contact Sarah Engel from the ECU Department of Art, Design, Media and Communication at sengel@ecok.edu.

-ECU-