FARMINGTON — The UMF Art Gallery will present its new exhibit to the public from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15 at 246 Main St.

The exhibit, “Veronica Cross: She’s (Not) There: The Re-Mix,” will include an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, and feature a talk by the artist at 5:30 p.m.

Cross’ new work investigates the devotional and socio-political application of the veil on the female body, as it simultaneously obscures and draws attention to a body’s femaleness. The artist sees these compositions as anti-paintings.

The earlier pieces in this body of work are comprised of cut paper and paint. More recent pieces are made of oil paint that has been scraped away to create the form. This reductive method inverts traditional painting practice. As allegory, scratching is a declaration – it functions to eradicate, to “own,” to bring something to the surface and to inscribe on the memory. Cross’ restrained color palette, wavering between filmy and murky, represents that space in the subconscious that is both ether and dinosaur tar simultaneously.

What would it look like if the female figure was absent but her presence seemed tangible? Cross’ silhouettes of the female form are cut away from their given environments. In these works, the figures and poses are hijacked from art historical references, vintage and contemporary media and pin-up imagery. She uses her own body as well. The conceptual “blank canvas” of the figure’s vacant body is like a screen onto which we can project our desires.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and by appointment.

FMI: [email protected], 207-778-1062.