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(Un)Konventional Kitsch!

 

Taking the crass out of kitsch

Thursday, December 8, 2005

By Jordan Bartel

Things are looking a little kitschy at Baltimore's Maryland Art Place. And that's just the way they like it. The gallery, tucked away in the back of the entertainment enclave of shops and restaurants in Power Plant Live!, is currently exhibiting "(Un)Konventional Kitsch!" through the end of December. But you won't find what most consider kitsch art-garish sequins, crass pop-culture influenced artwork or warped religious iconography. You know, the kind of stuff (thanks to John Waters films and the legendary "hun" style) that's come to be indentifiably Baltimore as the Inner Harbor.

The artwork in "(Un)Konventional Kitsch!" showcases the wide-variety of work that has its roots in the much-loved-and also much-aligned-style. "We're definitely looking at the boundaries of kitsch," said Lisa Lewenz, MAP's director of programs. "When you think of kitsch you usually think of the crass and tasteless, but we're looking beyond that."

Kitsch is a German term for art that is considered to be an inferior copy of an existing style. More simply, it's art that is considered in bad taste, especially trite or sentimentally melodramatic. Think tacky knickknacks at the dollar store or a clock with swinging Elvis hips as its pendulum. The work displayed in the new exhibit isn't directly kitschy as an Elvis clock or sad clown figurine. Instead it's exploring the far perimeters of what can be exactly called kitsch.

Lee S. Millard's deer memorial features a wooden cross with the head of a killed deer (it's been stuffed) square in the middle, ringed by fake flowers. Gary S. Medovich's "Chic art" depicts multiple rubber chickens lying on top of each other. A background of flashy Technicolor-yellow demands attention.

A middle gallery features several works by Baltimore-based artist Les Harris. The work is from his "Labyrinth at the Amaranthine Museum" series and reflects old art forms of the Egyptians and Greek, containing copies of famous works of art painted in subdued pastel coloring.

"The work really plays on themes of fame and notoriety with an ironic tone," Lewenz said. "It's not in-your-face kitschy, but shows how kitsch can go beyond glittery sequins or outlandish characteristics."

A third gallery space in the exhibit showcases themes of death, religion and celebrity in kitsch. A series of photographs by Virginia Warwick shows dead squirrels and mice as they would appear in a funeral, lying peacefully on white sheets.

Rachelle Lowe's "Saint Mick" plays on the themes of religion and celebrity in kitsch by portraying Mick Jagger as a saint in a Medieval-esque rendering.

"Much of the work pushes the envelope but what makes it interesting is that it really makes you think," said Lewenz, an artist and filmmaker who recently moved to her hometown of Baltimore from New York City. "It's easy to trivialize kitsch, but its subject matter is always important."

On Friday, MAP, a non-profit center for contemporary art established in 1981, will host a gallery talk and reception starting at 6 p.m. Lewenz said the reception will also allow artists to bring in "pushing the boundary" holiday ornaments that will be exhibited on a Christmas tree in the middle of the gallery. "The exhibit gives people something to chew on," Lewenz said. "I'm sure some of the work would offend some people, but it will also be intriguing while pushing some buttons."

If you go

What: Maryland Art Place's exhibit "(Un)Konventional Kitsch!" running through Dec. 31.

When: A gallery talk will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by a reception and holiday bash at 7 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information call 410-962-8565 or visit www.mdartplace.org.