Despite the misleading title, the opening reception for "Showpocalypse" commenced without the second coming of Christ. However, the exhibition, located on the second floor of the CFA, showcases the promising work of 14 first-year MFA students who are just beginning to bloom.
Last Thursday's opening reception was accompanied by an intriguing live performance of "A Misappropriation of 'Singin' in the Rain'" by Sarah Paul.
Paul critiqued the artificial nature of live performance by wrapping herself like a mummy and singing behind a screen that displayed a pre-recorded performance of herself singing and dancing in glamorous attire. Unfortunately, it will not be staged again during "Showpocalypse," but she teases out a similar idea by dubbing over a carefully chosen scene from "Singin' in the Rain," which can be screened in the gallery.
Elinor Whidden also resorted to using recorded images to replace her live performance of "Dromomania." In this piece, she attempts to commute with a mangled car strapped to her back. A Macintosh showing slides of Whidden walking amongst traffic is set up next to the backpack-sized heap of metal she hauled, windshields included.
"She's asking, what if we had to carry the car instead of the car carrying us?" said Leah Rico, fine arts instructor and student.
Whidden and Paul demonstrate that art is not always meant to lie passively in a gallery. Sometimes a more aggressive message needs to take a more active approach.
Alexander Young's "Comma Wall," constructed of wood, cement and casters, shows a cupboard snuggled inside insulation. It seems as though he's attempting to magnify the less noticeable aspects of architecture, to remind the viewer that the part is just as important as the whole.
"It's talking about institutional space, and the reason it's a comma is because it both joins and separates," Rico said. "It's a tribute to spaces that aren't noticed in architectural institutes, like closets."
Veronique Cote's "Le Grand Mechant Loup (Big Bad Wolf)" also explores the minutia of construction. For the piece, she wove together a life-sized red cape with cocktail stir sticks and string. Cote's piece urges the viewer to rethink the femininity embedded within fairytales.
Nathaniel Infante's current use of lithography and intaglio demonizes man's gratuitous use of animals. "Mother's Milk," is a despairing portrayal of a calf that becomes tangled in a milking machine while attempting to nurse from its mother.
"Sleeping Horses," another piece by Infante, depicts a desolate tree "decorated" with lifeless, emaciated horses, surrounded by crowd of unaffected spectators. Infante strategically uses simple images to cause distress within the viewer.
Amy Greenan displays a set of obscure self-portraits, done with oil and colored pencil on canvas. It's rare for a self-portrait to take a peek underneath the skin, but she conceals detailed sketches of herself with grotesque colors and body organs.
"My work has developed in a way that I want it to relate to everybody and not just me, as someone who works with self-portraits," said Greenan. "These are about both covering up and exposing the interior."
"I'm Not Kidding," and "What Does the Veil Reveal," are two framed self-portraits that Greenan exhibits where the subject is veiled, while also mimicking a comic book by incorporating caption bubbles.
"The words seem as though they're accidental, but they're very purposeful," said Kristin Sturdivean, sophomore MFA student. "All of Greenan's work references the body. It's a mixture of externals and internals."
"I'm experimenting with the idea of a veil," Greenan said. "Instead of being overt with the body, I'm trying to be more introspective."
It's refreshing to see young artists dabbling in different mediums and experimenting with messages. The show is on view through March 11 in the CFA's second-floor gallery.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
