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Antagonism, Hacks, and Hoaxes

Tuesday, 8.21.2007

Art with a sense of humor

By Jordan Bartel, Times staff writer

With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Maryland Art Place has launched Antagonsim, Hacks, and Hoaxes, a cynical take on pop culture and consumerism with shades of absurdist humor.

On view through September 1, the exhibit curated by Current Gallery’s Michael Benevento, features the avant-garde work of 22 emerging artists and artist groups. Nothing’s safe here, from video game and cleaning product obsessions to cheesy infomercials.

“Most of the artists were already making work that fit into the title,” said Benevento, a 2005 Maryland Institute College of Art graduate from Houston. “The work all fits together. They bleed into each other.”

The off-kilter and literally, off-the-wall art (don’t miss the sprawled-out-on-the-floor installation piece featuring work primarily by AGHOST )is in your face and in your ears. At times it’s all more performance art than anything else.

Spectacular Society Corp.’s print “Life’s II (easy rider)” documents the trio’s party in a flooded house in New Orleans and pays homage to the film “Easy Rider.” Ray Roy’s “Blue Leader. Entering into the game zone,” a complement to Robby Rackleff and Blue Leader’s “Castle Leader,” takes on the artist’s own love of video feedback mixed and recorded live to videotape.

Jeremy Rountree takes on consumerism with his “The Cleaning Products of Hypermodernity,” with real kitchen products placed smack-dab in the middle of the front gallery. “Suits for Paris” by Alexandr Skarlinski is a series of framed photographs and text elaborating on the artist’s plan to finance a trip to France by selling his clothes. A stack of his real suits sits underneath.

Visual assemblages of absurdity, Antagonism is an assault on the senses, complete with bright colors, sound effects and shocking views of everyday. Some images are disturbing but elicit chuckles at the same time.

Pop culture is a frequent target as is the computer age. MAP describes the exhibit as getting to the unconventional core of conventional living.

“Some people too the ‘hack’ aspect literally,” Benevento said, referring to the preponderance of computers in the art.

But “hack” takes on another context here.

“It’s more like social hacking,” he said.