By Lydia Porter
Who says that the cute can’t be creepy and vice versa? Someone may have. If they did then the “Cute and Creepy” art exhibition at the Dedo Maranville art gallery at Valdosta State University would prove them wrong. Here, we have works of art that can be considered both cute and creepy at the same time. These works stem from oil paintings of evil bunnies to grotesque sculptures made of real animal skeletons, and pretty much everywhere in between, if you can believe that. All of these works are wonderfully spread throughout the gallery space and each one seems more intriguing than the last, leaving a lasting impression on whoever views them.
One of the works that caught my eye in the gallery was Fire, by Chet Zar. This work is a nighttime portrait of a broad shouldered monster with wrinkly skin and beady yellow eyes. In his elongated and outstretched arms he is holding a flame, which is reflecting beautifully off of his textured skin. The attention to detail and realism of this surreal piece held me there, staring at it for a long time. According to the artist, we, humans, are the monsters that he paints. Everyone has made mistakes that they regret, but it makes them who they are. All of his monster paintings, including Fire, hold a sense of sorrow in them, which is the monster’s regret for the evil deeds they have done. Humans are no different. I would have to agree with the message of his works. Not one person in the world is perfect and everyone has some kind of regret, much like the monsters.
Another work that stood out to me at the gallery was a sculpture called Aster, by Jessica Joslin. This piece hangs from the ceiling and looks very much like a Pterodactyl. Its head is the skull of a hornbill bird, while its body has been assembled using welded metals. This piece, and all of her other pieces, are meant to reflect both the living and the dead animal. They reimagine the animal kingdom. These pieces both intrigue me and frighten me, which I think is the point of this exhibition, to make people think about life in a different way. I really love animals, so seeing the remains of dead ones put on display is very disturbing, but the metal and bolts that she has used to reimagine these pieces is fascinating and I can’t bring myself to dislike them. I’m also glad that she didn’t go out and deliberately kill the animals to make these sculptures, instead her goal is to bring them back to life in the form of art works.
The final work that I caught my attention was Sugar Trilogy 1: Tricks, by Laurie Hogin. This work features a white rabbit who is not happy in the slightest. His blood red snarling mouth and bloodshot eyes give you a feeling of dread as he sits in a white room, on a white table, next to a white bowel. The only thing not white in this painting is the rabbit’s mouth and eyes, the colorful round objects in the bowel, and the two multicolored eggs resting beside the bunny. It’s like a demonic Easter Bunny. To Hogin, the bunny is a potent and common metaphor that is well known, from the Easter Bunny to the Play Boy Bunny. It represents nature and women. The reason it is snarling at the viewer is because it’s tired of the metaphor and wants to break free of it. The bunny in this picture has dropped his half decorated eggs and has decided it’s time to stop playing along with the stereotype of the Easter Bunny and he wants to escape, but can’t because he is a painting.
All of the works in this gallery want us to do exactly what the bunny wants us to, to break free and discover the meaning of life and the world on our own. Fire, wants us to look and see ourselves as the monsters we truly are, so that we can better ourselves, and Aster wants us to be reborn so that we can discover ourselves and the world in a way we could not before. This exhibition is all about uncovering and breaking free from ourselves and the ones who oppress us. It says, “Yes, the world is crappy, but what are you going to do to change it?”
Lydia Porter is majoring in Art Education at Valdosta State University, and is originally from Valdosta, GA. Lydia is focusing on drawing and painting and plans to become an elementary school art teacher.