Another Review of the Mobile Art Show

The sky was grey, the wind chilling but what was found inside was enough to color the most dismal of early winter days and warm the soul.

As has become customary since the arrival of director Tommy McPherson, the Mobile Museum of Art in Langan Park is presently treating the local populace to first-rate exhibits that are raising the bar for this sleepy Southern town. McPherson appears to be the perfect complement to a revamped museum eager to match its modern environs with shows as dynamic.

The current slate of exhibitions is proof enough.

Ed McGowin’s elaborate and stimulating "Name Change Project" is both amusing and entrancing with a depth of thought that certainly induces reflection. In the course of the project, the artist changed his name a series of times, accompanying each different moniker with a completely manufactured biography and new style. The body of work underlines the multi-faceted aspect of not only artists but also the average human heart in a truly gifted concept.

The Dusti Bongé exhibition on loan from Biloxi underscores the work of oft-overlooked artists from a region which, at times, seems content to ignore the more adventurous in favor of watercolor boats and wildlife. Though the Mississippi-born artist’s surrealism is clearly part and parcel of her Twentieth Century roots, it belies a sensibility still refreshing without being too dated, especially in a land of over-mythologized moonlight and magnolias.

The Southeastern Juried Exhibition is also tantalizing, but the meat of the present shows is undoubtedly the Howard A. and Judith Tullman Collection entitled "Creative Imaginings." A list of superlatives spring to mind when contemplating the collection, but none do justice to the actual emotional gamut viewing elicits.

In fact, the first left hand turn into the gallery met one work so forceful, the first glance greeted a wave of intensity that passed through the observer’s core and stirred an almost visceral reaction. Superficially, Mary Borgman’s "Portrait of Jody Carter" (2002) seems another monochromatic likeness, however something seemed poised to leap from its subject’s gaze. Neither the technique nor the subject matter is uncommon, but whether it was the sheer size of the piece or the viewer’s receptiveness, its impact was tangible.

And that was only the first taste.

Work after work in this panoply of contemporary art was as vibrant as anything Artifice has seen in Mobile in years. Whether it was the haunting visage within Peter Drake’s "Out of Place" (2004), the schizoid religiosity of Norbert Cox’s works or the palpable explosiveness of Leonard Koscianski’s "Clash" (1988), every turn elicited inner action and reaction.

And is the case with contemporary art, much of it met subjects and emotions that are often avoided in our area for the uncomfortable ground they tread. Caleb Weintraub’s "Party Favors" (2005) in particular carried an overt violence that, while effective, would likely have been turned away from the museum in years past.

And Mobile’s seemingly most taboo of subjects was present in full force. The nudity that was the subject of a somewhat controversial installment of Artifice in the last year was everywhere. A full frontal female nude standing in longing over a prostrate and bare man, a distinctly unnerving male nude reclining amongst archetypes of the mythological South, or the open embrace of a naked couple protected by a distracted Rottweiler, there were more than enough human forms to shock the more puritanical quarters of our town.

But a glance through the comments in the guest book showed a refreshingly mature reaction to the exhibit. The skies didn’t fall, the earth didn’t open to swallow anyone. People took it for what it’s worth and evaluated it as such, as one would hope functioning human beings could do.

How this stands in stark comparison to other local venues that bill themselves as havens for contemporary work is inescapable, especially in light of the way the struggles of those venues’ artist advisory boards are sometimes negated, the political maneuverings within those institutions and the eradication of those who dare to try and hold their ideals above the inane and pedestrian backroom schemes.
Ideals? In an arthouse? Why who ever heard of such a thing?

Kudos to McPherson and company for retrieving the fallen standard and leading Mobile’s artistic charge into a new realm.

Maybe they can dash eastward down The Hill soon.

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.