By Sarah Moore
Cute and Creepy, a show curated by Carrie Ann Baade, traveled to the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery at Valdosta State University this fall. Perfectly timed for Halloween vibes, the exhibition opened mid-October and ran until early November. The original show, which debuted in 2011 at Florida State University, was larger with more artists. The VSU walls were covered with paintings and drawings ranging from large-scale oils to small-scale drawings in colored pencil. Baade was present in elaborate, black Victorian garb to talk about how the show came to be and about each artist. Her own work is featured in the show; oil paintings in large and small scale speak about mythology, femininity and power. A Three Headed Tiger Cursing Heaven presents the viewer with a woman in elaborate garments with three roaring tiger heads. The figure is surrounded by flames which curl and ascend into the clouds.
When I entered the gallery for the first time on the opening reception my attention was immediately drawn to the middle of the room where two large mixed media sculptures by Kelly Boehmer loomed. The crowd that snaked through and mingled in the gallery were drawn to these works, with many leaning in closer to absorb all of the textural and morbid details. From a distance it almost seems as though these works were acting the way a fire on a cold night would; people communed around them, conversed, and stood close, but not too close.
The first, Belly Up, is a wolfish sculpture comprised of mostly textiles in shades of garish green, with the occasional splash of hot pink or bright red throughout. The teeth in the mouth of the creature seem real, and quite off-putting. The second sculpture, Pink Garden, creates more of a scene or environment for the creature featured in the work to exist within. The ground is covered with tentacle like green tubes, acting as grass of sorts. Towering at least six feet tall is a bright pink tree made of transparent fabrics which are stuffed with yarn and other deliciously textural material. Hiding and playfully perching all over the tree are actual stuffed, preserved carcasses of a range of small animals. One weasel in particular caught my eye, with his obviously dead face and beady black glass eyes. Standing next to the tree is a creature which looks like a mixture between a dystopian Eeyore and a baby elephant. The same pink, transparent materials are used on the creature, but here they have a different feel. Are we looking inside of this creature? What are we seeing, entrails, blood vessels, organs? Boehmer perfectly encompasses the show’s title and sets the stage for the entire show. From a distance these works are whimsical, cute and a bit ethereal, but the closer you get the creepier and more disturbing the sculptures become with the transparency of the materials and the inclusion of preserved animal carcasses. Boehmer also has several wall hanging sculptures in the show, each also utilizing animal skins and parts to create soft, cute, gruesome scenes which beg to be touched while simultaneously staying your hand with discomfort and repulsion.
Elsewhere in the gallery space a screen in the back of the gallery soundlessly loops through the animations of two different artists. The works of Jessica Joslin perfectly complement and contrast Boehmer’s sculptures. Joslin uses the skeletons of animals and modifies them with filigreed metal parts to create really dynamic, steampunk-esque creatures that still feel alive. Two of her creatures are perched atop circus-like wooden spheres in an endearing balancing act. The two-dimensional works are varied and neatly displayed. I tried to pick favorites, but each artist’s style was unique and highly rendered. The large oil paintings could be stared at forever, each featuring their own brand of monsters. The dainty, colorful drawings by Lori Field echo the playfulness of Boehmer’s and Joslin’s sculptures. Her subject matter is a mixture of animals, flowers and delicate figures arranged in a dreamlike space where real world rules like gravity take a backseat. This show was FUN! October was the perfect month to host the show and the works were vibrant, disturbing and dynamic, creating an environment within the gallery that felt removed from the outside world. Each time I visited the gallery after the reception was a welcome escape from the humdrum of daily life.
Sarah Moore is majoring in Art at Valdosta State University, and is originally from Athens, Pennsylvania. Moore will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Art in December 2017. Moore is focusing on ceramics and metalsmithing and plans to pursue a Master’s degree and teach at a university level.