April 2019 - The Crass Menagerie

Ryan Kelly: The Crass Menagerie

April 1 through May 1, 2019 Closing Reception and Artist Talk: Wednesday, May 1, 12 - 1 p.m.

The Crass Menagerie is a surreal interior domestic space anchored by the large Self-Portrait as Bearskin Rug. The space is populated by wood and paper mache props, evoking anthropomorphic household furnishings and a number of small ceramic sculptures reminiscent of the tchotchkes collected by artist Ryan Kelly's elderly Midwestern relatives. This body of work comes, in part, from Kelly's study of and appreciation for historic and contemporary kitsch ceramic objects, and vernacular art forms. Just as much it is informed by a childhood spent exploring the cramped, overstuffed homes of elderly relatives, filled with books, curios and artifacts from their long lives. While this installation may have a familiarity in expression or form, there is a half-cocked dream logic to the entirety. Kelly is returning to these spaces in his dreams to interrogate these secret objects for their stories.

^{Self-Portrait as Bearskin Rug by Ryan Kelly}

^{Bloke Toby by Ryan Kelly}

^{Concerned Lady Toby by Ryan Kelly}

^{Pixie Cookie Jar by Ryan Kelly}