The last time I wrote about Ann Wood's sculptures of animals, I assumed that there was some political or ethical meaning underlying them. And there may be, but looking at her installation Festoon at Avis Frank Gallery, it's hard to discern a particular statement she is trying to make. Which is just as well--it allows the viewer to let the weird confluence of visual elements wash over her.
Ann Wood, Festoon, 2013, taxidermy form, poured latex, pompoms pins and plastic flowers
Avis Frank has two gallery rooms, and one has always been a little bit awkward for displaying work. It's a weird shape and has lots of windows and a low ceiling. Gallery director David Hardaker made a bold decision to hand it over to artists for installations--Ann Wood's Festoon is the first.
Ann Wood, Festoon, 2013, taxidermy form, poured latex, pompoms pins and plastic flowers
Festoon is a nature scene with a reclining deer and a curious coyote and lots of flowers. But there is nothing--literally nothing--natural about it. The animals are taxidermy forms (used by taxidermists to fit the skins of animal trophies around), they are coated with puffy poured latex (apparently the same stuff make-up artists use to create face prosthetics for movies)--even the flowers are plastic. And the colors, of course, are super-saturated pastels.
Ann Wood, Festoon, 2013, taxidermy form, poured latex, pompoms pins and plastic flowers
The whole thing reminds me a bit of Takashi Murakami's superflat esthetic. It seems specifically to reflect Japanese notion of kawaii, a kind of highly stylized cuteness that, to Western sensibilities, seems almost overwhelming, like eating something that is way too sweet.
Ann Wood, Festoon, 2013, taxidermy form, poured latex, pompoms pins and plastic flowers
It is said that hypocrisy is the homage vice that pays to virtue. Festoon is a utterly plastic, artificial tribute paid to nature. This irony is delicious, as is Wood's installation.
Ann Wood, Festoon, 2013, taxidermy form, poured latex, pompoms pins and plastic flowers
Ann Wood, Festoon, 2013, taxidermy form, poured latex, pompoms pins and plastic flowers
Isn't it just Guy Debord's spectacle without the politics?
ReplyDeleteAll kawaii could be described that way.
ReplyDeleteexactly. That's a Japanese version of kitsch and this is an American version.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. For one thing, the poured latex adds a slightly disquieting feeling, a feeling of disgust. I should have written about that. It feels chemical, toxic. That contrasts interestingly to the "cuteness." Besides, to me kitsch is unreflecting. Ordinary taxidermied animals are kitsch. This is something else.
ReplyDeleteAnn also plays with the contrast between cute and horror. The "elk" has a pool of sparkly blood pouring out below it, and the coyote seems to be waiting for the elk to bleed to death before devouring it. Ann played with this mix of kitsch and horror at Art League recently with her "stuck pig" bleeding sparkly blood from its flower festooned body.
ReplyDeleteThat is a completely reasonable explanation that I should have thought of first!
DeleteAll of Ann's work deals with attraction and repulsion. The intention is to drag you into the work through it's scale, color and frosted whimsy and then once there, have you somewhat distressed that your joy appears to be at the expense of a dying animal, a pig hung for slaughter or a dog fight.
ReplyDelete