Writer Charles Mortimer got it right in his 1947 book of children’s verses Some Queer Animals and Why when he declared “I think by now it’s pretty clear, most animals are somehow queer.”
Moving beyond the political to celebrate the queer animal in all of us, 13FOREST Gallery presents work by 14 New England artists in its new show Queer Animals. Opening Thursday, September 17 with a reception from 7-9 pm, the show runs through November 13.
Queer Animals includes recent work by: Bren Bataclan, Louisa Bertman, Resa Blatman, Scott Chasse, April Clay, David Colombo, Beth Dacey, Thomas Durand, Joe Keinberger, Mark Luiggi, Peter Madden, Ted Rabidoux, Ann Smith and Greg Stones.
Much like Mortimer’s musings on bandicoots and okapi, the pieces in Queer Animals revel in animal personalities and personifications, including human folly. The painters, printmakers, photographers, sculptors and mixed-media artists in the show exemplify Mortimer’s sentiment that “The jungle’s full of things, you’ll find, that stagger the Progressive Mind.”
The work selected for the show ranges from Bren Bataclan’s cozy cartoon characters to Ann Smith’s whale constructed with the detritus of the modern age including old windshield wipers and typewriter parts.
Resa Blatman will be among the artists in Queer Animals who depicts animal personalities. In her large-scale painting Aphrodite’s Garden, above, two great herons sit atop an abundance of plant life, looking off to the side with regal detachment from the viewer. Calm and quiet, the painting captures the assured soul of one of North America’s greatest birds.
Brotherhood of the Powdered Wing, Joe Keinberger, graphite, ink, acrylic on board, 12" x 12"
Book artist and printmaker Peter Madden’s work Icarus, retells the myth of the man and his son who plunged to their death while attempting to fly on wax-and-feather wings. This strongly vertical and delicately stitched work presents a dispassionate sun, a torrent of waves and, between them, telltale feathers drifting silently downward. But all is not lost, painter Scott Chasse reminds us. In his work Burt Reynolds the subject is captured in his youthful glory. Hairy and smug yet still approachable, here the celebrity is a wolfen archetype as much embraced as feared by American culture.
The September 17 opening reception, as well as a second reception on October 15, coincide with the Third Thursdays series in East Arlington’s eclectic Capitol Square, during which local shopkeepers, restaurateurs, and small business owners offer specials to celebrate the walkable, friendly blocks near the Capitol Theater.
13FOREST Gallery is located at 167A Massachusetts Avenue and features contemporary art and craft by established and emerging New England artists, including fine art, photography, jewelry and ceramics.
