Philadelphia Art Alliance's Vanitas Exhibit

  “Vanitas”

Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

May 27-August 12, 2010

Long gone are the scenes of pastoral morbidity; the archetypal arrangement of overripe fruit and freshly hunted game are nowhere to be found in the exhibition “Vanitas” at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.  The linking theme of the show is interpreted and represented differently by each artist, presenting a captivating experience throughout the dignified rooms of the PAA.

The staircase leading to the second floor galleries guides you with a velvet-sleeved banister, while an oversized crystal chandelier haloed by a Tiffany-ish shade of blue observes your arrival from above.  Immediately, a baby-grand piano greets the viewer.  Seductively perched on the lid of the piano is an altered chafing dish by metal sculptor Myra Mimlitsch-Gray; its peculiar form alludes to the show’s exuberance.

Beyond the prim landing an emerald green glow emits from the gallery featuring the work of Gae Savannah.  Described as a sculptor that works in “new materials,” Savannah’s work is colorful, loud, and clamors for attention.  She makes totemic assemblages of plastic found objects and veils of iridescent fabric.  Themes of femininity, beauty, and physical appearance are prevalent; the collaged objects range from strands of beads, colorful hair clips, and child-size vanity tables.  At first glance, Savannah’s work could be cast aside as a gaudy cacophony.  What lies within the tiny caves and crevices of the work is what really matters.  In her Vanitas, cascading trellises of jewel-toned plastic beads seduce and draw in the viewer to the beauty created by simple materials.  Savannah’s ability to persuade the viewer to take a second look is what makes her work successful as well as a complimentary addition to the exhibit.

Myra Mimilitsch-Gray’s work takes an abrupt change from the lush decoration of Savannah’s.  Her work is a unique hybrid--a sort of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast-meets-Terminator 2.  Domestic silver and copper objects take on a metamorphic form as they appear to melt under the weight of their own actuality. Her display room is presented in more of a traditional manner; works are secured under plexiglass to prevent unsightly fingerprints from curious gallery goers.  Gray’s work exudes a strength in craftsmanship and skill, in addition to tiptoeing the omnipresent fine line of art versus craft.  Gray’s work appears more subdued and serious than if it was shown in a different setting; surrounded by exuberant work, her transformation of objects occupies the back burner.

Candy Depew’s installation, Stilled Life, looks like a bicycle collided into skateboarders--in a diamond encrusted Koi pond.  Skulls--direct iconography from the Vanitas tradition--appear throughout the installation, but appear fresh from a Mexican Dia de los Muertos parade float.  Indicative of Depew’s aesthetic viewpoint is the practice of decoration beyond oversaturation.  Depew describes her work as “mystical portrayal of feminine beauty,” however, the common references to mainstream fashion trends (Orientalism, splashy ambiguous shapes, gigantic diamonds, skulls) depict more of an Ed Hardy t-shirt factory explosion than feminine beauty.

The exhibit takes another contrasting direction in the neighboring gallery occupied by sculptors Katherine Kaminski and Audrey Hasen Russell.  Visually, the mood is quieter, more sentimental and personal.  Structurally, the room is divided in half, each artist displaying work on opposing sides.  Kaminski’s combination of drawings and sculptures depict dream-like narratives, often literally sugar coated with a thick crystal crust.  A blossoming romance between a woman and a deer are juxtaposed with floral arrangements and deer anatomy.  Her work, I keep you here to stare at you when no one is looking, has the style of a funeral-home florist.  A plaster Corinthian-style pillar maintains posture while a sumptuous silk flower arrangement cherishes a tiny deer figurine protected under a glass bell jar.  Without her rock candy surface technique found on other pieces, I keep you here to stare at you when no one is looking reminds us too much of the arrangements sitting in our grandmother’s living room, perched on crocheted doilies.

Still life arrangements by Russell evoke remembrance through objects.  Delicately balanced vintage glass mingles with blown glass orbs, expressing a yearning for the past.  Stacked glass vessels adorned with plastic grass sprouts are sandwiched between clear plexi circles. Her works utilizing branches are the most emotionally delicate and personal, demonstrating process and the artist’s hand involved the in the creation of the object.  The branches reach out from their bases, fragile tendrils traveling forward, balancing the personal dichotomy of maintaining one’s roots and traditions while acknowledging the independence of moving forward.

Vanitas does exactly that--it remind us of our past, our mortality--nevertheless, it celebrates living in the present as well.  Each artist independently conveys the enjoyment of life, the pleasure in our earthly encounters, and the sentimentality of memory.  However, for an exhibition with such creativity, personal history, and overflowing visual stimuli, it can hardly be regarded as the Latin translation of vanitas: “emptiness.”

Christine Colby