The works of nineteen North American, pop-culturally sensitive artists hang on the walls of their collector’s study at Nuvango Gallery. In Our Veins is a curious collection of pop-cultural references displayed as an installation in the house of a someone who stuck in a world of kitsch nostalgia with a taste for décor that often features in pop-vampiric scenarios.
Installation view
Some of the works make direct references to films such as Bruce White’s velvet interpretation of the Bride of Frankenstein, or an oil painting by Isabel Samaras titled “Planet of the Drapes” in which a lady ape stands confidently in front of some 70s drapes. In a drawing by Rob Jones, the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz is given a new cultural context as “Tin Mandoza”. The artists in the exhibition reference new television series, movies, and characters who were popular generation ago, or were recently re-popularized such as Camilla Errico’s cutesy rendition of Shakespeare’s fantastical protagonist Puck.
Bruce White, Bride of the Monster
Installation view with (from left to right) top row: Alex R. Kirzhner, Poserpina; Isabel Samaras, Planet of the Drapes; Kevin Tong, Target Practice; bottom row: Justin Hopkins, No Sleep; Paul Jackson. The Lurker
Rather than explore the potential of movie scenes and the possibilities of character development, Jason Edmiston painted the subjects of the modeling process used to produce moments of great drama. Edmiston’s “Model as Subject: Daenerys” gives one reference photo for his Game of Thrones painting. His works are not only a reminder of the people involved in producing the popular culture, but also draw attention to the complimentary niche cultures that build up around deleted scenes, extra commentary and co-splay. Of the sub-cultures, zombies are strongly represented at In Our Veins. The zombie drawings by Alex Pardee titled “Mr. Birthday” and “Mr. Fourhead” seem to be inspired by the Mr. and Mrs. Book series by Roger Hargreaves with a twist of horror. Pardee’s zombie titles also seem to belong to the villainous traditional categorization of zombies in video games.
Jason Edmiston, Model as Subject: Daenerys(left) and Mother of Dragons (right)
Alex Pardee, Mr. Birthday (left) and Mr. Fourhead (right)
I would not want to spoil the fun for those who want the pleasure of guessing the pop-culture references, but even for people who prefer sub-cultures, the art works are worth visiting for their exquisite detail and technique.
Text and photo: Alice Pelot
*Exhibition information: In Our Veins / Group Show, February 11 – March 11, 2016, Nuvango Gallery (above the Nuvango shop), 639 Queen Street West, Toronto.