XXXmASS is a group exhibition organized by Kate Werble Gallery in collaboration with gallery artist Laurel Sparks. The show consists of 22 artists, exhibiting an exuberant collection of rebellious, holiday-themed works such as extraterrestrial moon pies, nutcracker orgies, satanic reindeer, pagan circus trees, intersexed elves, beastly textiles, glistening vessels, metal mistletoe and a riot grrrl window diorama.
The Sequel of Trolli
Anthropologically and mythologically Santa is a harlequin(ian) patchwork of rich and disparate narratives. Santa has worn many a Mithras stylized cap as Thor, Odin, a problematic Dutch slave master (which causes me to cringle), and Apollo to name a few. Archetypally the magician and the clown are the same figure on opposite sides of the wheel- one perhaps esteemed as more nobler than the latter- and best of all Santa indiscriminately inhabits both! ‘He’ and in the Siberian shamanic variation ‘she’ in drag as ‘he,’ Santa occupies a special place in the hearts of all good boys and girls as the most well known Shamanic figure globally. The Germanic Santa works closely with the devilish figure Krampus, which I’m convinced is just Santa on a bad day. Once upon a time, Santa forgot to shape-shift into Krampus and was caught eating children by Goya in “Sa(n)turn Devouring His Son.” Santa likes to make things by hand and is the ultimate crunchy-granola. He lives at the North Pole (the axis mundi), communes with flying reindeer (mushroom junkies), and works with magical elves (creators of language) to bestow gifts of liberation to those who are pure in heart. Santa sees the world through honeycomb specs, which are a secret tool for weighing the heart(s) of humanity. Chimneys are his preferred portals to distribute the sacrament for trans-dimensional travel. Cookies are strange attractors at the end of time. In the off season, Santa hangs up his red suit to don an electric blue fur and moonlights as Cookie Monster in a state of eye rolling ecstasy.
– Caroline Wells Chandler, 2016
Participating artists: Caroline Achaintre, Polly Apfelbaum, Hannah Barrett, Brian Belott, Anna Betbeze, Beth Campbell, Borden Capalino, Nathan Carter, Caroline Wells Chandler, Nicole Cherubini, Christopher Chiappa, Jennifer Coates, Tony Cox, Brock Enright, Jacob Goudreault, Jesse Harrod, Baker Overstreet, Paul Rizzo, Nancy Shaver, Laurel Sparks, Marc Swanson and Brandi Twilley.
Kate Werble Gallery (press release)
96 x 48 x 18, Diorama elements variable. Wire, aluminum, wood, paper, string lights, pine branches, polyfil, ink, enamel and acrylic paint.
Image courtesy of the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York.
Hand tufted wool, 97 x 82 1/2 inches.
Image courtesy of the artist and Arcade Fine Arts, London
UV print, dehydrated oranges, silicone, rice, and pigmented resin on polystyrene, 65 x 42 3/4 x 5 1/4 inches
Image courtesy of the artist and Kate Werble Gallery, New York. Image credit: Elisabeth Bernstein.
Mirrored stainless steel, 25 x 6 x 6 inches.
Image courtesy of the artist and Kate Werble Gallery, New York. Image credit: Elisabeth Bernstein.
Installation, photograph, pins, Pom poms, t-shirt, 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
Image courtesy of the artist and Kate Werble Gallery, New York. Image credit: Elisabeth Bernstein.
Foam, resin, paint, 20 x 20 inches
Image courtesy of the artist.
Graphite on gray paper, 10 1/2 x 17 1/4 inches.
Image courtesy of the artist and Kate Werble Gallery, New York. Image credit: Elisabeth Bernstein.
