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[4](Mythos Gallery, Burbank) A tightly woven exhibit of magical narratives,
The Saints (& Other Unusual Personages) illuminates the art of
Kim Stringfellow, Allison Kendis and Rene Vasquez. Each approaches their
work from a visionary stance to infuse figures with a rich mysticism.
Stringfellow's mixed media assemblages are an eerie blend of photography
and real objects. She frames fantastic photo-narratives, such as the bloody
self-mutilation of St. Lucy or the transformation of the pagan deity Ceres
into the Christian Madonna, with actual quirky objects that include a jar
of pickles and a loaf of bread. This uneasy coexistence of spirituality
and reality heightens the psychological tension of her work. Brilliant crimsons,
acidic oranges and luminous blues only intensify the emotive content of
her narratives. The haunting Grandma on My Mind bristles with anguish
and poetry. The suicide of her grandmother is filtered through youthful
memories and starkly preserved in a tightly knit composition.
Kendis' ephemeral Narrative Portrait series is fluidly presented
in a mixture of materials: charcoal, eroded shells, rocks, and oil medium
glazing on wood. David depicts the beautiful head of a young man simply,
but also with the strongest spirituality among the works here. Kendis cryptically
writes in numbers and letters over the head and superimposes leaf and feather
images to increase the inherent mystery of the image. In her intriguing
mixture of dreams and reality, Kendis' paintings evoke the works of Marc
Chagall as heads and images float by in a transient world. Each head is
viewed at an unusual angle, and the use of glowing whites, lavenders and
grays emphasizes the ethereal nature of her subjects.
Vasquez delves into a mythic world populated by exotic deities and visceral
imagery. Using prismacolor on birch panels, Vasquez combines mainstream
contemporary art with the tenets of Mexican Modernism to give his paintings
an odd, hydrid look. Vasquez has interesting ideas and an original imagination,
but his focus becomes lost in a welter of confusing imagery. Defining his
paintings as an "archeology of inner states," Vasquez has much
potential if he would pare down his compositions to the essential drama.
All three artists skillfully reveal a rich inner fantasy life. Most striking
are Stringfellow's magic realist assemblages, which pack a complex narrative
into a compelling tableau. Kendis' poetic narrative portraits are shimmering
illusions existing in a metaphysical realm. Caught in a fluid whirlwind
of color and line, they are on the verge of metamorphosis. Vasquez' narratives
are filled to the brim with goddesses, rituals and symbols. Held together
with spiritual threads, these artists convey an otherworldly aura that provides
a welcome break from the mundane.
