Irony and Ambiguity

March 7, 2015 - April 11, 2015

Groucho Marx once quipped “Last night I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I’ll never know.”

Irony and ambiguity include literary meanings and visual imagery that signify the opposite of what was expected. The spectator recognizes that the truth is subverted by stating the contrary of what is meant. The difference between appearance and reality has been blurred to comic effect.

Daniel Heimbinder’s musings on paper are very detailed and complex to the point of absurdity. His “Magnum Opus” is an ink drawing that is 8 foot wide that weaves together all the world’s mythologies in one great tale. There is Plato in his cave roasting marsh mellows, and then there is the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the sheep in wolf’s clothes…

Miguel Avila works as an environmental graphic designer by day and invents his Surrealist hallucinations by night. Aided by his superb draftsmanship he weaves a powerful narrative of baroque Mexico and puritan Texas with all its dynamic frictions and creative impulses.

Pat Johnson  for the past 40 years has experimented with clay, wax and glaze techniques and has produced sculptures that are unique, but subtly disturbing. At first glance the small scale images look vaguely familiar, but on closer inspections they carry powerful political and social messages.

Michael Brims’ video “Mouth” belongs to a series called “Body Parts” and depicts various sections of the human body “au nature” with stubbles, pores and all imperfections. The “Mouth” in the video then begins to sing an operatic aria in German. What is funny about that? Come and see.