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.
Please fill out this form if you are interested in utilizing images from the galleries or portfolios for your own purposes. If you would like to connect with any of the featured artists, contact us. We ask that you do not utilize any of the artwork you see here without requesting permission to do so. We strongly believe that artists should have full agency over their work, so we do not share it with other entities without their consent.
For October’s Gallery of the Month, we have chosen to showcase artwork which features ominous and unsettling imagery as a nod to the halloween season. You’ll find that this collection spans across a wide range of topics and themes, from festively spooky to the abstract and unknown — even to the pieces which creep into the territory of fear inducing.
While identifying artwork that explores that which makes us feel unsettled (which intentionally plays upon both the viewer’s and the creator’s fear), we often found ourselves noticing recurring symbolism and common themes. Some works seemed to be more clearly paying homage to iconic films or scary and whimsical characters from childhood stories, and others seemed tied to narratives of personal struggle and suffering or critiques of the world at large. These pieces often utilize horrific and frightening imagery to embody pain, illustrate frustration, or speak to hopelessness and desperation.
This collection helps us think about how we interact with our fears. The ability to create “scary” artwork offers one the unique opportunity to both name and confront that which invokes feelings of discomfort. Whether it’s something more lighthearted or true fears that keep us up at night. Viewing work which deliberately pulls the viewer away from their comfort zone alongside others allows us to immediately identify with others who feel fear.
We hope you enjoy this month’s theme: Ominous
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