David Van Ness "Caribou Conflict" 2010
The image above is my favorite work in this exhibition. Van Ness' choice of color reminds me of my favorite Matchbox toy car, Rolls Royce, from my childhood. I still have it stored in an official Matchbox collection carrying case. PaperCity also chose Van Ness' image for their print and on-line July arts update. My image above was taken the night of the opening reception. The pictures below were taken a week later when I went back to take a better look at the show.
The new director, Liliana Bloch, came out and spoke to me in the gallery and conveyed her ideas regarding her inaugural KHFA curatorial effort. Sex/Twist is a conceptual exhibition exploring the repercussions of living in an era still defined by Victorian mores. I can understand this as nudes in art seem so much more 'naked' to me when I see them presented (though rarely) in Dallas as opposed to when I view similar art in any other less prudish city. This work has the viewer examine ideas of repression, secrecy, hypocrisy, dogma and control. Heady stuff for a hot Dallas afternoon.
Van Ness' sculpture seen above depicts the male deer's endless struggle for dominance of the females, sometimes leading to the death of the loser. Allegoric to our own human struggle for dominance.
Bill Haveron
Haveron's graphite drawings are derived from personal events and symbolism that has captivated him. In the bottom drawing we witness police having their way with a young women while men of the cloth stand by and either watch or wait their turn.
Daniela Comani
Comani presents two sets of works in this exhibition. In the images above, we see her explore the supposed marital bliss of the heterosexual marriage. The couple look oddly alike, as long term couples often do. Accompanying these works were FAQ's questions regarding this project written on the wall in pencil such as: "Is he really your husband", "Is he your brother", "Are you twins", and "You look so similar. Have you been together for a long time" Comani's other project is presented in the pics below. These display reversed sex roles that follow the history of western literature:
Daniela Comani
Bryan Florentin takes the uncomfortable concept one step further by breaking gallery taboo and actually inviting the viewers to touch his art. He presents six small installations, three sets on two opposing walls in the gallery. Each of the sets consist of either three or four individual framed prints 'stacked' on each other as they lean on the wall. The viewer must pull each frame forward to view the pieces hidden behind.
Bryan Florentin "Archive E"
I moved to the other side of the gallery to capture these images of one of the other three installations. Notice the scuff marks on the wall above the third framed print. I couldn't avoid the reflection in the glass:
Bryan Florentin
I know my own prudishness was at work while I viewed these. I mean, it's one thing to enjoy more graphic jpegs in the privacy of ones own home for personal enjoyment, but it's another all together to view censored and edited prints presented in a gallery setting. And it was 100+ degrees Fahrenheit outside. I went home to take a cold shower to wash away the sweat and conceptual repression. Obviously, Bloch's curated exhibition had the intended effect on me.
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