Welcome to the newest gallery in JAC’s Gallery of the Month series, where we showcase a wide range of art and writing under unique monthly themes. Check back on the first of each month for a new collection of works by the talented artists in the JAC network. To view past galleries of the month, see our Gallery Archive.
For the month of April, JAC’s Gallery of the Month team wanted to showcase a variety of artwork that features comics, cartoons, parody, and comedy more broadly.
Comedy is a powerful tool. It can invoke lighthearted feelings—providing a source of comfort and emotional relief to many. And beyond the power of comedic relief, the mediums associated with comedy can provide incredible outlets for processing and expressing one’s emotions. This release can prove particularly healing in carceral settings which typically foster dehumanizing and emotionally stifling atmospheres.
Furthermore, in such a setting, the art of parody can be the only accessible mode of critique, a powerful tool for subverting the power of these institutions and exposing their failures.
As you view this gallery, we encourage you to notice pieces such as Allendale Dogs by Michael Eggleston or A VaderWonderLand by Vince Vader. What do these pieces remind you of? What are they critiquing or drawing reference to? What feelings might they invoke?
“Ever since I saw my first Star Trek episode, I’ve loved sci-fi: the TV shows, movies, novels and especially sci-fi art. I remember looking at “Heavy Metal” magazine in the late 70s mesmerized …in awe of the awesome artwork. For years, I tried to emulate the styles of some of the artists I saw that did sci-fi art and as you can see, I’m still trying. The first car pic set in a spaceship came out so well, I wanted to try another one. Instead of making it look all neat and clean, I wanted it to have a grungier and more industrial look like inside a Borg ship or in the Millennium Falcon. There’s a Toulouse Lautrec painting of a woman’s underlit face in the foreground. I think it is Night at the Moulin Rouge. It kind of gave me the idea of the alien guy in the foreground. I want to title this one, This Calls for a Coke. A little free advertising for one of my favorite drinks. You might have to look hard for both bottles. The couple by the lava lamp is in love. The red buttons between them are vaguely in the shape of a Valentines heart.”
We hope you enjoy this month’s gallery: Witty Works
|
Kirkland Cats by Eggleston We exit the dorm in a line |
| Allendale Dogs by Eggleston As it be in the morning pitch black dark. Walking to breakfast at Allendale I hear a bark I look with a stare through the fog It’s an prisoner walking a dog. The dog’s color is brown and black With a streak of white down his back. Some of the colors will begin to blend As I get closer to cafeteria the barking ends. They are approaching me just as I like To make out clear its Fred and Spike He trained Spike with no rod When you see them they are like two peas in a pod. As I continue walking to my right I see a stack of old logs It is a beautiful thing to see Allendale Dogs. |
