Dana DeKalb
The Outer Limits: Paintings by Dana DeKalb and Jane Fisher
Transmogrify: To change or alter greatly, and often with grotesque or humorous effect. (Merriam-Webster)
In our society, we routinely award prizes and accolades for extreme behavior. The related pretense and posturing are universal – especially now in our selfie-fixated era – but can in some cases reach the point of obsession. While we all seek admiration from our peers when pursuing a personal vision, some take their vision too far. Under the illusion of maintaining control while pushing beyond the limits, some might inadvertently lose sight of their original goal and find they have in fact lost control and created something unnatural or even dangerous.
Dana DeKalb and Jane Fisher have both devoted many years to observing and recording human psychological interactions with irony and empathy. In this exhibition, they present an array of characters who personify the extremes of modification and the subsequent outcomes of their attempts at manipulation. With a theatrical style that evokes a morality tale in progress, Dana’s paintings include over-bred and over-styled show-dogs, and over-confident figures that are literally exploding in their attempts to control the forces of nature. Jane's works from her recent series of over-built musclemen and over-coiffed showgirls, in which the subjects are hyper-sexualized, and have reached the outer limits of “normal.”
For more information about Dana DeKalb, please visit her website.