Minnesota Naughty, Evidence, and Everybody is an Astronaut

THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING EXCITING GOING ON in the Twin Cities' art scene, and this weekend I found myself viewing some especially unique pieces at the University of Minnesota's Katherine E. Nash gallery and at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The Minnesota History Center presented some equally unique imagery in its latest History of Hip lecture, too. So let's start with that.

Entitled "Minnesota Naughty," this lecture focused on Susan Marks' latest book, In the Mood for Munsingwear: Minnesota's Claim to Underwear Fame (I will review it soon), which explores Minnesota's connection to the underwear industry and the surprising ad campaigns that accompanied it. Marks pointed out the many connections ads had to homosexual culture. It's funny how, in this day and age, we may see these ads and think that it looks kind of gay but, since it was from that time, were the ad men just naive? Marks points out that no, it's more likely that back then naive folk would see the ads and think nothing of it, the more in-the-know folks may snicker or get a kick out of the modernity of the ads, but more importantly, the gay community knew who the ads were targeting. And, as Marks pointed out, the ads sold underwear. An intriguing look into the past, for sure.

Sharing the bill with Marks was Sarahjane Blum-Murphy of Grapefruit Moon Gallery, who spoke a bit about the culture of pin-up art and even brought along two gigantic and gorgeous original Gil Elvgren paintings. Did you know that this iconic painter is a Minnesota-native? It was news to me!

AN EERIE EXHIBITION has befallen Gallery 262 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Evidence is the culmination of Angela Strassheim's art background (she's an MCAD grad and received an M.F.A. at Yale University) and her crime scene photography training (between her undergraduate and graduate studies, she earned a living as a forensic photographer). If I remember correctly, I first saw her photography years ago at the Chambers Hotel's Burnett Gallery. Her Left Behind series was on display; a few of the photos in that series seemed just a little too squeaky clean to be completely innocent, if that makes any sense. In the simplest terms, the crisply dressed characters in the familial settings felt, well, creepy. I remember there being an unreal quality about them, making it hard not to gaze at every inch of each large-scale photo. This sense of wanting to look further into her photos, around the corners and in the closets, happens again with Evidence. In this series, she literally exposes the remnants of the gruesome histories that will never truly disappear from some now-happy homes.

The best example of this is her photo entitled "Evidence No. 10." A skinny wall in the center of a bedroom is pictured. On this wall hangs two photos -- the baby pictures of the married couple currently inhabiting the place. But Strassheim's photo, like all of them in the series, is dark. The lights in the room are off, leaving only rogue streaks of light coming in through cracks in the drawn curtains. And then there is another form of light, which is the focal point of the photos. This is the luminescent remnants of DNA, the sprays and spatters from decades-old crime scenes. I couldn't help but wonder what the current residents think about the photos of their homes.

This following short video is part of the exhibition. Strassheim talks about the luminescent spray she used to get the effect in her photos, and the process by which she approaches the people who now live in these homes. Supplementing this exhibition are vintage Minnesota-specific crime scene photos. This exhibition will be on display as part of the New Pictures 4 series at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts through October 11, 2011.


THE MFA THESIS exhibition Everybody is an Astronaut is currently open at the University of Minnesota's Katherine E. Nash Gallery. The show features works by Jennifer Anable, Ben Garthus, Bart Vargas, Sam Hoolihan, and Areca Roe. For the most part, all of these artists are working on a large scale for this show.

I'll mention only a little bit about the show here, but all of the works make up an impressive exhibition.

Jennifer Anable's ceramics creations have a surreal and comforting quality about them. For instance, she has made a pile of ghostly flowers and they are set in the middle of the floor. It's hard to believe these flowers are made out of porcelain; they look like wax and as delicate as real flowers. Squat down for a closer look, but take note -- it will be awfully hard to resist the urge to touch them. Before I gave in, her larger sculptures distracted me, and I quite enjoyed her refashioning of doors, and even how she managed to literally dig a hole in a set of dresser drawers. 

Photographer Areca Roe has a knack for capturing the unrealistic qualities of zoo environments. In the middle of her exhibition she includes mauled toys -- a giant red ball and a sled -- in boxes that may as well be coffins. Those toys have seen lots of aggressive animal teeth. 

And don't miss Sam Hoolihan's Etudes for Penney’s photographic series, either. As far as I can tell, this may be the best use of JC Penneys' photo studio ever.