Halloween isn’t for another few weeks, but it might as well be now. Grocery store shelves have been stocked with trick or treat candy since Labor Day, homes are a tangle of orange lights and fake cobwebs and pumpkin patches are popping up all along Interstate 8. Even galleries are getting in on the action.
There are two shows opening this coming weekend with decidedly spooky themes. Subtext down on Kettner near Little Italy opens Friday night with a reception launching a group exhibition titled Ghosts of Halloween Past.
The show will look at Halloween and the nostalgia that surrounds it from a variety of perspectives and through a variety of media. Classic motifs and objects such as jack-o-lanterns, candy containers, die-cut decorations and toys, all with a hand-crafted, folk art sensibility will provide the show’s foundation. Featured artists, from as near as San Diego and as far as Philadelphia and Vancouver, are Michael Bonfiglio, Matthew Kirscht, Cali Lee, Ken Garduno, Patrick Gill, Tom Haubrick, Bob Scott, Kelly Vivanco, Nicole Duet and Katherine Webber.
Then on Saturday night a solo show by artist Anthony Dortch Jr. titled The Privileged Series opens at Distinction Gallery in Escondido.
The Privilege Series isn’t exactly Halloween oriented but the images and the opening reception will be chock full of makeup and costumes. I am told it will be a very interactive affair!
The series illustrates what it means to be socially and financially above others. “The underclass perpetuates the myth that achievement is possible for some, not all. Status becomes privilege and equates with money – new or old. The upper crust of such a society relies on minions, dropouts, and lower classes to get the distasteful and unworthy jobs done. Socialism and capitalism clash.”
Think of the series of images that results from this vision as a kind of “Rise of the 47%!” or “Nightmare of Wall Street.”
In his press release Dortch describes his process this way: “The evolution of my work incorporates the use of ink, photography, bold colors and a buildup of brush strokes combined with comic book art to produce images that focus on a panoply of experiences.”
A crew of local artists and designers will be contributing to an interactive reception that will include local models wearing fashion by The House of Canney; hair designs of Tim Cabell; stories from Jackson Lassiter and Hollywood special effect make-up by Keifla of If Looks Could Kill Artistry.
