By Ashley Smith
While the apparent contradiction of the name may deter some, the Cute & Creepy exhibit is nothing to fear. The works included are so interesting and explore a corner of our world we often hide away; the monsters, the dark, the utterly unsettling. However, for those who adore the creepy – myself included – this is exactly the exhibit we’ve been waiting for.
Walking into the Dedo Maranville Gallery at Valdosta State University the air of the gallery seems clear, most of the works have a darker, somber tone. However, this isn’t true of all pieces. On the contrary, many incorporate vibrant pinks, intense blues and other varies pigments. Two sculptural pieces made of yarn, bones and taxidermy animals stand out in the middle of the room. The energy is lighthearted despite the dark works, the opening masquerading as a costume party.
While my eyes are drawn to the sculptural yarn works that take up space in the middle of the gallery, the work of Jessica Joslin keep my attention. Joslin incorporates animal bones and different found objects into her works. Gage is one such piece. The antique hardware, lamp parts, bone, brass, velvet, and more come together to make this fantastical work. The different media form a cat-like animal balanced on a ball that seems straight out of a 1920’s circus. The creature’s ribs and backbone grow from metal frames and end in a curled tail. Her skull and legs the only actual bones used. The color differs among material as well. Gunmetal, bone white, antique gold all form the body, whilst the ball’s white base with red strips and star add a level of playfulness to the work.
The work feeds into an aesthetic that is exactly as the exhibit name describes. It is creepy hiding in cute clothing. Her eyes and movement show nothing but carefree joy. This creature, even stripped down to its bare structure, is alive. I imagine it running after the main heroine in a Tim Burton film, gleefully nipping at her heels as they go onto discover some horrific secret. Perhaps that is the point of the work, because showing this many viewers, once they see the bones, it turns them off immediately. Bones, something so interlocked with death, is hard to separate for many. Nothing with this undertone can ever be seen as more than morbid. For me, however, this is a piece I would love to own. Death is something to be seen and not hidden as we are often trained to do. This work feeds into life after death. The bones would have wasted away, forgotten in a field somewhere before turning to dust. Gage gives the creature a new life, a purpose beyond death.
Chet Zar has many pieces on display, and many keep my interest throughout the evening. I find myself returning to them several times to marvel at the content and the beautiful custom frames that adorn each painting. The technique he employs is brilliant, the vibrant color and otherworldly – maybe even underworldly – creatures bring me to a part of my childhood I miss. The weird drawings and monsters I should have feared but loved dearly. Zar brings them to life with little effort, while also discussing emotions our society shoves away.
Chronic Anxiety is one such painting. Done with oils, the work is instantly familiar to anyone who has felt the ever-present itch of anxiety. The monster has a sickly grey-yellow completion. His muscles are pulled taut while his square head retreats into his shoulders, a face of immense tension and stress reading clearly. His white eyes seem uncertain, his mouth in a grimace as he smokes a cigarette; all the while, he clutches a bundle of nerves. This scene is laid out as the full moon rises, adding a morbid, desperate environment to the piece.
As soon as my eyes found it, I didn’t need a title because I had experienced this exact feeling far too many times. It was clear what this monster was. Anxiety is a contradiction, something that should be defeated by logic. But, it never works out that way, even though you know logically nothing is wrong, every nerve in your body is telling you to run, to freak out. Your body clenches trying to stop the reaction but it just makes it worse. This monster has become so familiar. Zar captured him well, from the coloring to the facial and body movements. It is the perfect representation of anxiety. The mass the creature clutches seem to represent a bundle of nerves. The tighter you clutch them, the more agitated they become. I am impressed with the level of thought that went into Zar’s work. The frames only add to the feeling and ambiance of the painting. This piece moved me, brought me back to so many moments of intense anxiety and worry. It did exactly what I hope art to do, to move viewers. I would be interested to know how others without anxiety related to the work. Would they have the same intense response? Would the theme not seem as relevant, only showing stress versus anxiety? Would they see stress at all?
This exhibit was by far one of the best I’ve seen at VSU. The work is an aesthetic often dismissed within the art world, as well as our culture as a whole. People don’t want to be reminded of the darkness of humanity, of death and destruction. They would rather write off the work as wrong, weird, and other. But that is an injustice to those who have seen these monsters first hand. Wrapping horrors in pretty bows, in subtleties, just lessens their effects. Adding the cuter aesthetic can soften the blow, many artists in this exhibit chose to do so, adding brighter undertones to the work. However, who are we to deny this work a platform, for a new generation to see the weird and creepy? To deny an experience that might shape their minds and art? I remember my aunt saying once that “If I don’t get it, that makes it art.” That was her entire viewpoint, her definition. Many people think that way, and so many still judge art based purely on personal preference. I think my aunt was right in a roundabout way. Art is what isn’t easily understood or accepted, and this exhibition fits into that with ease.
Ashley Smith is majoring in Fine Arts at Valdosta State University and is originally from Saint Simons Island, Georgia. She is focusing on Graphic Design and Metalsmithing, and after graduation plans to pursue a career as a Graphic Designer.