October 03, 2019

Herman Rorschach inkblots featured in Drexel University exhibit

'Inkblots are perhaps psychology's most popular and controversial creation,' says curator of 'What Might This Be?'

By Sinead Cummings
PhillyVoice Staff

Courtesy of/Drexel University

On Oct. 8, the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University will open a new exhibition that will examine the link between inkblot art and inkblot science.

The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University is opening a new exhibit, "What Might This Be?," featuring inkblots by Herman Rorschach.

On display will be unpublished and rarely seen Rorschach inkblots, as well as inkblots by other psychologists, reproduced in a large-scale format.

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"Inkblots are perhaps psychology's most popular and controversial creation. They have become a cultural icon that almost everyone has heard about," said co-curator Eric A. Zillmer, who is a professor of neuropsychology in the College of Arts and Science and the director of Drexel's Athletics Department.

If you, by chance, haven't heard of the Rorschach test, it's a psychological test in which perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed.

The new exhibit will examine the link between inkblot science and inkblot art by looking at their history in psychology and relevancy in art. Many well-known artists have experimented with inkblots, such as Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali.

"The inkblots displayed in the exhibit are ultimately not only very beautiful, but also complex, interesting, surprising, perplexing and unbelievably creative," said Kanya Zillmer, co-curator.

You'll be able to view the exhibit from Tuesday, Oct. 8, through Sunday, Dec. 8. The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.