A Walk-Through of Constructed Identities in “The Unbearable Lightness of the Fantastical and Unwearable Art Show”
By Mona Brody
11/8/23
"The Unbearable Lightness of the Fantastical and Unwearable Art Show", curated by Anne Trauben, is showing in the Drawing Rooms Terrarium Gallery. The artists in this group exhibition have constructed identities in the form of installation, sculpture, photography, video, mixed media, drawing, painting, and sound. Trauben’s clear curatorial vision tells a broader story of archetypes, alter egos, historical referencing, and fantastical experiences for the viewer.
As I walked through the gallery, Marcel Duchamp’s alter ego, Mademoiselle Rrose Sélavy kept haunting me. Marcel Duchamp assumed the role of a seductive woman, displaying playfulness, fantasy, and the irony of Dadaism. His fellow artist and Dada collaborator, Man Ray, often photographed Duchamp’s adopted female persona dressed in a stylish 1920’s coat and hat.
Diamonds are a Queen's Best Friend by Christy E. O'Connor
A Dressing Room for Marie Antoinette, an installation by Christy E. O’Connor, achieved that transformative experience for me. The tiny white dressing room glowed in sparkling light, its scale suggestive of a child’s playhouse created an alternative world where Marie, in costume, danced to dream-like music in a video. I was transported into her fairytale of historical fiction and magic; I did not want to leave.
Changing Rooms by Bayard
Bayard, a multidisciplinary artist with a background in fashion design and costume, asks the participant to enter “Changing Rooms”, a 6’ x 9’ installation imbued with an abundance of multi-colored rags layered in this created space. The experience was reminiscent of an early 1900’s rag shop in the Lower East Side of New York. Was it a narrative of the people who might have given up tattered clothing for a fee? What was the real history behind the cloth?
Starlette by Poramit Thantapalit
Poramit Thantapalit’s figure appears with its outstretched wings, “a Phoenix” rising from the ashes. “Starlette” was created from recycled, corrugated cardboard composed of triangular cutouts,. uses staples to attach the triangular forms. This carefully assembled creature comes forward with a need for nature’s rebirth metaphorically and, literally, an imminent concern for sustainability.
Underpinnings #7 by Margery Amdur
Margery Amdur, a fiber artist, is a master at using the sewing machine. She has created a relief sculpture, “Underpinnings #7”, composed of vertical forms that are wrapped, stitched together, seemingly to protect. She brings to life through abstraction and repetition the need for human touch and support. I am reminded of a print by Henry Moore, “Tube Shelter, Perspective,”.This work was created during World War II in England; masses of people are huddled together sheltering from danger in an underground tunnel.
Are You Sure You Want to Be Mikey Mouse? by Miki Katagiri
Miki Katagiri, an expert milliner, using traditional hand craftsmanship to design, make, and trim, creates exquisite hats, but with a twist. Her hats are made from felt, fox fur, miniature toys, plants, and more; they cry out to protect nature, our environment, and pay attention to our universe. “Are You Sure You Want to Be Mikey Mouse?” is a satirical hat that has a toy meerkat sitting on fur, surrounded by Mickey Mouse ears, questioning life.
Caput by Kate Dodd
Kate Dodd’s imaginary headgear, “Caput”, is made from repurposed reference material. Keeping in mind its fragility, the work could easily be destroyed. The sculpture is meticulously assembled and painted with delicate colors resembling aged patinated metal. The materiality of the piece suggests vulnerability; curiously its structure suggests protection. The play of duality is what makes it compelling.
Lavatory Self-Portrait in the Flemish Style #7 (L) by Nina Katchadourian
Lavatory Self-Portrait in the Flemish Style #10 (R) by Nina Katchadourian
Lavatory Self-Portrait in the Flemish Style #10 (R) by Nina Katchadourian
Nina Katchadourian, a photographer, videographer, and sound artist, takes witty self-portraits in which she portrays herself in a variety of ordinary settings. Utilitarian materials, such as toilet paper, which beautifully embellish the collar of her dress, and the mirror from the airplane’s bathroom are her immediate resources. These images are taken with her cell phone. “Lavatory Self-Portrait in the Flemish Style #10” is one such photograph. This fictionalized 17th century moody Dutch painting could have been a work created by Johannes Vermeer.
Braid Mask by gwen charles
gwen charles works in video, photography, sculpture, and performance. Like Nina Katchadourain, she uses her own body as an exploration of the female experience. Her photograph, “Braid Mask”, appears to emerge from a dream and historical referencing. Her evocative use of hair braids to cover parts of her face suggests fantasy and sexual promiscuity from a time gone by.
Mother by Donna Conklin King
The artist, Donna Conklin King, tells the story of a woman’s life lived. Her work on paper, “Mother”, begins with a worn shirtwaist dress from the 1970s. The dress is a matrix for a monoprint and mixed media; charcoal, an x-ray, and chalk pastel all beautifully drawn to express the portrayal of the fictional mother without arms or a face.
When an artist, with intention or not, creates an alter ego, what is the result? An artist may need distance from their artwork to provide clarity and a true understanding of the direction their art practice is taking. The artists in this exhibition designed a fictional framework as an essential part of their art, and when combined with its creator, the total proves to be a new and meaningful whole.
"The Unbearable Lightness of the Fantastical and Unwearable Art Show" will continue on view at Drawing Rooms Terrarium Gallery until November 11, 2023.
Mona Brody is an artist whose studio is at Manufacturers Village in East Orange, New Jersey. Learn more about Mona here.
