In Depth: Sluts and Studs

Nava Atlas, Sluts and Studs, 2008, Clothbound flag book
with pigmented inkjet pages, Edition of five, 14" x 32" (open)

It seems that the subversive spirit of the book mushrooms has taken root here at Artistic Novelty. Or, at the very least, it has spread to other books in The Book: A Contemporary View. In contrast to the broad spectrum of subversion to which the book mushrooms are relevant, however, Nava Atlas's flag book Sluts and Studs specifically confronts its readers with the markedly different words and dialogues that have come to define men's sexuality and women's sexuality in western culture. This confrontation causes us to question the validity of each group of terms and the extent to which they are a balanced representation of sex among the sexes. It becomes clear, and rather quickly, that said discourses aren't very balanced or fair at all. While this point will not be new to anyone who has ever been a part of any social scene, Atlas's presentation of the subject gives her viewers the opportunity to examine just how much--or how little--progress has been made in closing the ideological gap between discussions about male and female sexuality since it first appeared.

The book unfolds to reveal a pop-up grid of words in blue, words in hot pink, pictures in hot pink, and pictures in blue. Give yourself ten points if you can guess which color goes with the men and which color goes with the women. The pictures themselves are from the early-to-middle twentieth century, the times of screen idols and planes decorated with pin-up girls. While it isn't clear where the pictures of the men originally appeared, it's a fair bet that the women's pictures were originally used as pin-ups. On the inside of the front and back covers the words on the grid, still in their representative colors, are accompanied by their dictionary definitions. Words relating to women alternate with words relating to men. Troublingly, words with negative connotations alternate with words with positive connotations. Can you guess which words are positive and which are negative? I thought so. Give yourself ten more points.

The pictures, after you've read the words and definitions, are troubling. Each of the men is shown from somewhere in the vicinity of the collar bone and up. There isn't anything particularly sexual about these depictions unless one counts a glint in an eye here and there. If anything, the expression of these mens' faces is self-assured and confident. Despite the lack of sexuality in the pictures, they are paired with words that identify them as sexual beings. The women, in contrast, are shown from the waist or the breasts up, sport elaborate coiffures that are in just enough disarray, and wear, well, very little. These images are meant to be alluring and, though the women in them are often confident and self-assured, their confidence isn't really the point of these pictures.

Panoramic View: Perforations

Bonnie Crawford Kotula, Perforations, 2011, electrical
circuitry, wood, mixed media, Site-specific installation for
the DCCA.

Perhaps it's the darkness.
Perhaps it's the pulsing lights.
Perhaps it's the lure of trying to figure out what prom dress that balled up piece of tulle came from.

Whatever it is, there's no denying that there's something fascinating about Bonnie Crawford Kotula's installation, Perforations. Kotula has transformed the DCCA's E. Avery Draper Showcase into a slice of the galaxy as seen through her eyes. Miniature sculptures that are reminiscent of satellites hang from the ceiling by threads that have been rendered invisible by low lighting. Pulsing light emitting diodes ( or LEDs) on the sculptures illuminate pieces of tulle and other bits and pieces that have also been suspended from the ceiling by thin strings.

These basic elements combine to form something riveting. The play of light on the suspended objects is hypnotic, especially given that the rate at which the lights pulse changes depending upon ambient light levels. Because each light is suspended by a string, all it takes is for a viewer to walk by to completely redirect the light. Even the viewer's position in the gallery can completely alter the system of pulsing lights.

There is an interesting push and pull at work between the viewer and the art work. Usually, art affects the viewer. In this installation, however, the art and the viewer affect each other. We are made aware, as viewers, of how our attention and contemplation can change an object. The changes in the lights' pulsations are a visual manifestation of the attention we give to the work. In this way, Kotula has made the abstract concept of attention into observable phenomenon.

Given this interaction, it may be fair to say that the fascination of Perforations lies in the opportunity to become aware of the processes at work in our own minds.  Kotula has acknowledged her belief in the long-lived idea that light can be equated with knowledge. In her installation, various lights affect and change each other, creating something new in the process. This process acts as a microcosm of how we move through the world and how neural pathways are formed in our mind. Each new experience--or change in illumination--alters how we think and how we interpret the world around us.

It is the fascination and wonder behind this process that transforms stray pieces of tulle into a riveting piece of art reminiscent of celestial bodies. Because the installation will never be exactly the same one moment as it was another, the piece represents infinite possibility as it exists on a human and celestial scale.

A Special Event: Art on the Town

It's that time again, art fans.

Tonight marks the first "Art on the Town" event of 2011 and, in case that isn't enough to get you excited, it's also the launch of the DCCA's revised membership program. To celebrate the latter, the DCCA is giving Art Loop attendees a $5 discount and a free DCCA tee with every purchase or renewal of membership. The discount will only be offered tonight, so be sure to stop by the membership table and join up! We'll be the people shivering and smiling just inside the door.

In addition to our swanky revised membership program launch, the DCCA will have so many artists here discussing art, form, and color that you'll swear you've caught synesthesia. Jennilie Brewser, Jeffrey Stockbridge, Ted Carey, Roase Reeder, and Amee Pollack will all be here to talk about their work. Of course, there's always the possibility that they'll talk about each other's work, too, which can go two ways... The potential for monumental human drama is almost too much to bear!

If all of the above isn't enough to convince you to come out and join us, I'll offer one final incentive:

We have candy.


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In Depth: (S)Edition

Melissa Jay Craig, (S)Edition, 2010, Handmade abaca paper,
Processed by the artist

The book-mushrooms have infiltrated the blog! Run for your lives!

Putting aside the tongue-in-cheek tone of my over-the-top references to Melissa Jay Craig's (S)Edition, the transcribed panic above may not be too far removed from the message the artist meant to convey with her fearsome book mushrooms. If you find this statement difficult to believe, feast your eyes on the following definition of "sedition":

si • dish • uhn -- noun 1.  incitement of discontent of rebellion against a government; 2. any action, esp. in speech or writing, prompting such discontent or rebellion 3. archaic rebellious disorder.

I don't know about you, dear reader, but I have a new favorite word.

By creating paper mushrooms that take the shape of books growing from the walls, Craig plays with the seedy side of knowledge and its tendency to grow and reproduce in the shadowy corners of society. Mushrooms, for those of you whose parents aren't crazy biologists who are fanatical about fungi, grow and thrive best in  dark, moist locations like the underside of a tree root or--in a more off-putting yet relevant scenario, in a dark basement. By fusing books forms with those of mushrooms, Craig brings to mind such dark, secluded spots and the kind of information that is produced in such locales. There is an element of danger to these ideas, for the implication is that they would not be able to form in the open air of public (or government) scrutiny.

Panoramic View: We Are Our Stuff: Seeing from Above

Jennilie Brewster, We Are Our Stuff: Seeing From Above,
2011, Donated and collected miscellaneous household
materials, Site specific installation at the DCCA

Jennilie Brewstwer's installation, We Are Our Stuff: Seeing From Above, looks a little bit like the set of the musical Cats (or my desk on an average day). Crumpled up pieces of paper have been attached to the walls, books are nailed to support beams, and more than a few pieces of random detritus have been thrown together to create a chaotic, textured mass of an installation. At first glance, dear reader, it really does all look like a bunch of garbage.

The difference between the stage set and Ms. Brewster's installation (along with the absence of cat-suited actors) is that, once you look a little closer, you realize that the "stuff" on the walls isn't garbage at all. Instead, it's all the trappings of a life fully lived. Or rather, of two lives fully lived.


DCCA Curator Susan Isaacs writes: "Viewers stand in the midst of this microcosm contemplating their place in the world and the complexity of a life caught between mundane objects and the power and majesty of nature." Brewster certainly does weave a complex tapestry of the mundane and the sublime, a combination that is always sure to leave an impact on any observer. However, though this sense of shared awe allows the viewer to connect with the artist, it also has the potential to overshadow the loosely woven narrative that ties the exhibition together. Interestingly enough it is, perhaps, the reverse of this effect that seems to have pulled apart the two protagonists of said narrative.

A Special Event: Free Iassen Ghiuselev Lecture

Hello there, art enthusiasts. There's an interesting event on the horizon. I thought you ought to know about it since all the other cool people are going.

Award-winning Bulgarian illustrator Iassen Ghiuselev will be giving a free  lecture in the Wings Auditorium at the DCCA tomorrow at 2:00 pm. The lecture will be co-hosted by the Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD) and should prove to be an interesting hour or so. Mr. Ghiuselev will talk about his work and, more broadly, the field of illustration itself.

For those of you who haven't been paying attention to the Bulgarian illustration scene, Ghiuselev is known for his imaginative (and beautiful) illustrations of children's classics such as Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland. That's right, Tim Burton fans, I'm looking at you!

After the lecture, feel free to roam around the DCCA galleries.

For more information about the DCCA, the lecture, and/or directions, visit our website .

In Depth: 19th and Catherine No. 1

Jeffrey Stockbridge, 19th and Catherine No. 1, 2008,
Archival Pigment Print

The DCCA's new (-ish, since I'm playing catch up today) exhibition, Philadelphia, features the urban photography of artist Jeffrey Stockbridge. Stockbridge's exhibition juxtaposes dilapidated architectural spaces in Philadelphia with their inhabitants.  Though Stockbridge strives to portray his subjects as survivors of economic circumstance rather than its victim, the  photos that have been selected for the DCCA's exhibition evoke a sense of disappointment and helplessness. Disenfranchised individuals stare into space dejectedly or into the viewers eyes with a spiteful challenge. Wallpaper curls and peals away from walls. Dust, dirt, and the detritus of drug and alcohol habits litter the floor. Each image is a harsh, poignant portrayal of poverty.

One of the most striking images is of a vacant room; one wall of which has been papered over with a picture of a tropical beach. Soft oranges and blues contrast with the darkened silhouette of a palm tree in the beach scene. In the picture, the sun is setting over a calm sea. The landscape seems to glow with warm, comforting light. The illusionistic light in the beach scene is in sharp contrast with the natural light that filters through a dirty window on the extreme right of the image. This harsher light picks up color in the decaying room: a blue closet, the warm beige of masking tape that has been used to cover a crack in the ceiling, the graying pink paint of a doorway. All of these colors also appear in the beach scene; it is this detail that makes 19th and Catherine No. 1 such a striking image.

The contrast between the lifestyle to which the inhabitant of this space seemed to aspire and the reality of the individual's daily life is heart-rending. Whoever lived in the space went to the trouble (and expense) of matching the color of the interior of their woefully small closet and their door frames to the colors in the beach scene. This initial attempt to bring cheer into a small, room fades in comparison to the demoralizing condition of the walls, windows, ceilings, and floors. Whoever lived there may have wanted the warmth and relaxation that comes from living in a tropical paradise. The daily realities of their life in this decaying and dirty room could not be further from that idyllic lifestyle.

Stockbridge's talent lies in composing poignant and powerful photographs from the simples of elements. Whether he photographs an empty room or an individual, the viewer can not help but feel overwhelmed by his work. His ability to find common ground between his subjects and his audience ( in this work for example, the common ground might be a longing for the tropics) while simultaneously evoking a distinct set of experiences is awe inspiring. 19th and Catherine No. 1 is no exception.

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"In Depth" is a series of posts dedicated to taking a closer look at (and maybe completely misinterpreting) individual pieces exhibited by the DCCA. If you would like to nominate a piece at the DCCA for an "In Depth" feature, feel free to write a comment and let me know!


"Philadelphia" is being exhibited in the Dupont II gallery at the DCCA. The Exhibition will run through May 8, 2011.