Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Mary Hayslip at P.G. Contemporary

by Robert Boyd

Right now, Mary Hayslip's work is featured in a two-person exhibit , Voodoo Pop, at the Art League. She is sharing that exhibit with her old friend Trey Speegle, who is an illustrator/designer/artist in New York with Houston roots. It's a show worth seeing, especially for Speegle's various Marvin Zindler-related pieces. (Marvin Zindler is everywhere right now--in addition to the Art League, you can find him (or his doppelganger) at the Museum of Printing History and at the Box 13 POD at Discovery Green.)

There is a simultaneous show of Mary Hayslip's work at P.G. Contemporary. (This seems to happen in Houston a lot--an artist has a show at a museum or other public space while simultaneously having a show at a commercial gallery.) Hayslip's work here is kind of artsy-craftsy. It's decorative for the most part. It has a real 80s feel to it. The Voodoo Pop exhibit shows were that came from--even the title recalls the bouncy, irony-laden music of the 80s. Think of Wall of Voodoo or Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns; think also of the Memphis group or Fiorucci. And while you're on this nostalgia trip, think how perfect these cacti would be in your swinging Colonial House apartment.

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Mary Hayslip, Cacti, printed photo on vellum paper, wax linen thread and LED lights, 2002-2011

(Except if you lived in Colonial House, you'd never be able to afford these cacti--much less any Memphis furniture.) What is appealing about Cacti is their utter fakeness. This is another way it reminds me of the 80s. It's faux without even pretending to be real.

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Mary Hayslip, 70s Lotus Wall Flower, 70s vintage wallpaper backed with foil, car light, galvanized bucket

The same could be said of 70s Lotus Wall Flower. No one is going to mistake this plastic item for a real plant. The work is unashamedly decorative, making no claim whatsoever to be natural--even as it depicts nature.

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Mary Hayslip, Birds, laminated vintage maps, plastic thread

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Mary Hayslip, Birds, laminated vintage maps, plastic thread

Not all the work is completely decorative, though. These birds are charming and pretty, but my making them out of maps, Hayslip invites reflection on the part of the viewer. Maps imply travel, as do birds (especially the migratory types). Freedom, flying away, getting out of town--this is a decoration designed to get you out of your easy chair, if only for a mental vacation.

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Mary Hayslip, Mother Earth, refurbished globe, brass hose valves, 1991-2011

Hayslip uses a map in this piece, as well--a rusty old globe is bisected to make these two enormous breasts. I'd say the work was merely cute except for the state of the globe. Dark and rusty, Hayslip has taken the extra step of painting the land-masses black. Is this symbolic? Is she suggesting that instead of the bright blue marble that we're used to seeing, that we humans have despoiled the planet that we should be treating like a bountiful mother? (Really bountiful.) Or is it just a color choice? It could be the latter--the rusty browns and black look great.

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Mary Hayslip, Mother Earth (detail), refurbished globe, brass hose valves, 1991-2011

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Mary Hayslip, Spirits, marine nylon rope, 2008

This slightly disturbing figure is apparently suitable for hanging outdoors due to its material, marine nylon rope. It's hard to imagine it as being merely decorative--the immediate associations I had are with the crucifixion of Peter, the display of the body of Mussolini after his execution, and the "Hanged Man" tarot card. It would be a spooky sculpture to encounter outside a gallery setting--say hanging from a tree limb in your back yard. The material, ropes, adds a disturbing layer--that the figure is bound, helpless, left to die (if not already dead). There are two of these figures in this exhibit, and of all the pieces, these are the only ones where there is no obvious attempt to be humorous or ironic. And perhaps for this reason, they stick in my mind.


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3 comments:

  1. Omg... Michael Pollock and Colonial House. That is a blast from the past. My brother lived at Colonial House, it was actually a pretty dodgy part of town. Not many orgies going on from what I remember.

    Enjoyed this post and pics...will definitely check out this exhibit.

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  2. I love any excuse to mention Colonial House. The neighborhood it's in has grown a lot more dodgy (basically it has the highest crime rates in Houston, the last I checked). But in the late 70s/early 80s, Houston was flush and full of young single people drawn here to work in the energy industry, and apartments like Colonial House were made for them. When the oil price crash/S&L crisis hit, they became instant slums.

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  3. Robert, I had to google COLONIAL HOUSE--you're funny!
    Mary is a unique artist and her work is very off-beat,fashionable and child-like all done methodically and carefully to her own beat. Isn't it great that she captures something you hold so close to your heart.

    Thanks!!
    ZOYA

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