Virtual Reception on Friday, February 11, 7 p.m.
Target Gallery presents Sweet Tooth, a group exhibition that is all about decadence, desire, and craving. Artwork will embody this theme physically through vibrancy and the richness of color and texture. Other work represents these themes through a more conceptual connection such as explorations of coveting, gluttony, greed, and yearning.
About the Juror
Naomi Christianson is a local indie visual artist and designer, also purveyor of the Omi Collective. Her art focuses on the healing properties of color and iconic images representing the divine feminine and healing frequencies and vibrations of the heart. Leveraging her experiences as a Vedic and multicultural spiritual icon investigator, Naomi creates art that reveals her own journey while creating universal truths and bliss from raw materials of color, emotion and physical experience. She has exhibited her work in over 50 locations, including galleries based in New York, London, Prague and the DC metropolitan area. Her collective has popped up more than 30 healing safe spaces focusing on supporting local identifying female and gender nonconforming artists and entrepreneurs in the DC metropolitan area. Naomi is currently practicing her art in a private studio located in Moyaone Reserve inside the Piscataway National Park. Her current projects include focuses on moon medicine tarot cards, up-cycling vintage couture and adding new paintings to her Space Fashion series.
Christopher Lane (Washington, DC), The Grifters, 2020. Oil on Canvas. $3,000.
VIRTUAL ONLY
“The Grifters discusses the World's state of affairs, with piggy banks portraying the average citizen’s yearning for savings, and the bubble heads as the greedy money men. The bull and bear with wings reveal it’s all manmade, and we point fingers at the US Aid truck who offers the “hand out” to individuals, and businesses are granted the same with no care.”
- Christopher Lane
Jim Joint (Alexandria, VA), Pensive Unicorn, 2020. Digital. $350.
“This is a portrait of a woman, in a sleek white dress, drinking wine like an adult, but also seeing it playful with the unicorn headdress. Gazing off into the crowded party. She seems to convey coveting and yearning through her gaze, but the viewer might experience those feelings as well as they gaze upon her.”
- Jim Joint
Ashley Jaye Williams (Washington D.C.) Big Eyes, 2021. Antique glass, resin, mixed media. $350.
“This piece is a rejection of ‘good and bad binaries’ that come along with the semantics of framing an instance as an ‘accident’. Instead, I hope my work encourages viewers to interpret anything unexpected is a luxurious world of possibilities! Is the surface creeping into the glass? Or is it flowing out? Does it lead somewhere or is it purely an addition to the current surroundings? If I could go back in time and tell young Ashley anything, it would be to not obsess over labeling parts of my internal & external self as ‘good or bad’, and instead I would try to accept myself just as I am.”
- Ashley Jaye Williams
Kirsten Rae Simonsen (Honolulu, HI), Come Closer Star Right There, 2021. Handmade watercolor, watercolor, gouache, graphite, metallic paint. $2200.
“My paintings of Victorian taxidermied animals in fanciful environments reflect my love of the space created by the fairy tales of my childhood: where animals talk and magic or evil lurks around the corner. Birthday cakes and other sweet treats are a recurring theme as I explore the borders of childhood innocence, and the ways in which childhood trauma can enact its subtle revenge. The work conveys a sentimental sweetness, which is also cloying and unsettling. The animals’ expressions and the situations depicted in my work evoke an ominous feeling lurking beneath the surface. I use fluorescent pastels, often dusted with metallics, to create an otherworldly yet familiar atmosphere, that, like the fairy tale itself, encompasses both attraction and disgust. In a journey through beauty and disorder, I believe that hope and transcendence can also be achieved.”
- Kirsten Rae Simonsen
Jennie Thwing (Alfred, NY), Love Your Mother, 2021. Felt. NFS.
“Love Your Mother is an installation that includes sculpture and animation. It paints a picture of the earth as an eternal source of natural resources The animation begins with lush natural imagery and sound (bubbling rivers and swimming fish). The animation evolves into a cacophony of natural and man-made sounds and images (falling trees, human voices, oils drills and rockslides) and ends with an erratic dance of environmental destruction.”
- Jennie Thwing
Jennie Thwing (Alfred, NY), My Country, 2019-2020. Cut felt, paper. NFS.
“My Country is a personal interpretation of the country as seen through the lens of technology (i.e.,the constant news stream). This animation addresses my adult fears related to my:
-life in New York City.
-a skewed view of the country as represented by our sensationalized newstream.
-childhood memories of moving to Pennsylvania Coal Country from the Canadian Rockies.
-love for and fear of my country.
-experience growing up as the daughter of a pastor. The animation is a colorful mix of abstract shapes, hidden personal references and contemporary symbols.
This animation is a metaphor for the way I see the world. It shows the complexity of personal identity.”
- Jennie Thwing
Erika Cleveland (Washington, D.C.) Anna in Her Acorn Hat, Children of the Forest (Anna in Einer Eichelmütze, Kinder des Waldes), 2019. Sculptural needle felted and mixed media. $1500.
“This piece was inspired by the stories of my German mother's childhood and that of my German grandmother as well. Though they endured the hardships of war, at the same time they were sustained by a spirit of play and magic. Acorn and mushroom hats and magical forests served as a distraction from the destruction, violence, destruction and loss that these women endured. And I have a deep sense of this legacy of courage, resilience and connection to magic that they passed down to me.”
- Erika Cleveland
David Mann (Leesburg, VA), Venus, 2020.Hand pulled print. POR.
“Venus is a limited edition (of 10) intaglio etching print made with all archival materials.”
- David Mann
Eleanor Glattly (Rockville, MD), Sweet Dreams, 2020. Acrylic. $1000.
“As an abstract painter, my feelings predominate in my work. During this global pandemic, with its inherent stresses, sadness, and isolation, I’ve found myself craving sweets, literally and figuratively. This piece describes the real and metaphorical sugar rushes I’ve experienced and given into-in an attempt to keep reality at bay. Alas, there are no quick fixes, and my cravings are manifested in my painting; desire transforming into lush color, brushstrokes moving towards yearning. Just briefly, but in uncertain times, that’s enough for me.”
- Eleanor Glattly
Christina Dietz (Morristown, NJ), ABC Gum Machine, 2021. Cast iron, aluminum, wax, polycarbonate, wood, LED lights, aerosol paint, vinyl decals. Individual Gum pieces: $45 each. Stickers: $9 each.
“ABC Gum Machine, supplied by the fictional ABC Gum Factory is a sculpture posing as a functional bubble gum machine. This piece is filled with alluring pink gum pieces that, upon closer inspection, appear to be chewed through means of a mass mastication production system. What is this mysterious company? How do they make this gum? And who does the chewing? These pieces are made from actual bubble gum base cast in a mold made from chewed bubble gum.”
- Christina Dietz
Susan Makara (Alexandria, VA), Decadent, 2021. Mixed media on canvas. $4200.
“Geode ascension made with crystals, glitter and glass.”
- Susan Makara
Nicole Maloof (Washington, DC), Untitled (Midas Touch), 2020. Plaster, hardware cloth, gold enamel paint. $800
“The title of this exhibition, Sweet Tooth, lends itself to a level of seduction. Sweet treats seduce their consumers through their surface, smell, taste, and promise of satisfaction. Untitled (Midas Touch) achieves a similar result as a decadent treat. Its gold and heavily textured surface acts as a seduction tool to draw the viewer in, forcing them to question how the object relates to themselves. The piece has the artist’s hand physically apparent throughout and holds the viewer’s attention through desire of touch. Gold is such a rare and valuable commodity today, however this piece acts like fool’s gold; by using accessible materials like hardware cloth, plaster, and paint the piece tricks the viewer into seeing real value in the surface while revealing their own greed, lust, and insatiable behavior.”
- Nicole Maloof
Joel Vincii Ulmr (Washington, D.C.) Throne, 2019. Oil. $7,777.
“Self portrait of the artist practicing the Seven Deadly Sins. Envy, Gluttony, Pride, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Anger.”
- Joel Vincii Ulmr
Lindsay Hall (Las Vegas, NV), Candy Coated Lush, 2020. Polyurethane, tulle, polyester, dye, glitter glue, vinyl. $500.
My work revolves around the body, fantasy and sexuality. These universal yet deeply personal human experiences are playfully reinterpreted through the interplay of ambiguously suggestive forms, titillating colors and textures, and sensuous material combinations.
Candy Coated Lush is a modular composition reminiscent of a curved appendage or a sex toy delicately inserted into glittery floral orifices. The pieces are situated on a bright pink piece of vinyl in the shape of a juicy puddle. The palette is unrealistic to be inclusive while also recalling edible delights and bodily imagery. The materials are indulgent and tease the viewer by offering translucent pieces that expose intimately stuffed parts and opaque parts with fleshy surface contours. The piece is made more intimate and visceral by its compositional possibilities offered by individual arrangement and interaction.”
- Lindsay Hall
Lindsay Hall (Las Vegas, NV), Short Stack, 2021. Vinyl, polyester, chiffon, tulle, dye, glitter glue. $500.
“My work revolves around the body, fantasy and sexuality. These universal yet deeply personal human experiences are playfully reinterpreted through the interplay of ambiguously suggestive forms, titillating colors and textures, and sensuous material combinations.
Short Stack is a modular composition reminiscent of an upright pink appendage, a lumpy sausage or sweet treat secured by three stacked, glossy, floral-shaped orifices or cakes. It is situated on a translucent vinyl piece shaped like a juicy puddle or an ornamental doily. The arrangement recalls pleasure around the intimacies of food and other carnal joys. The palette is unrealistic to be inclusive while also recalling edible delights and bodily imagery. The materials are indulgent and tease the viewer by offering translucent pieces that expose intimately stuffed parts and opaque parts with fleshy surface contours. The piece is made more intimate and visceral by its compositional possibilities offered by individual arrangement and interaction.”
- Lindsay Hall
Lindsay Hall (Las Vegas, NV) Pucker, 2021. Polyurethane, nylon, polyester, dye, vinyl. $500.
“My work revolves around the body, fantasy and sexuality. These universal yet deeply personal human experiences are playfully reinterpreted through the interplay of ambiguously suggestive forms, titillating colors and textures, and sensuous material combinations.
Pucker is a modular composition reminiscent of a wonky appendage supported by, and supporting, an iridescent floral form indicative of bodily orifices, candy or toys. This playful pair can be intimately rearranged in various positions. The pieces are situated on a glittery, pale pink piece of vinyl in the shape of a viscous puddle or hard sugar. The palette is unrealistic to be inclusive while also recalling various delightful things. The materials are indulgent and tease the viewer by offering translucent pieces that expose intimately stuffed parts and opaque parts with fleshy surface contours. The piece is made more intimate and visceral by its compositional possibilities offered by individual arrangement and interaction.”
- Lindsay Hall
Grace Bromley (Queens, NY), Picker, 2019. Oil on canvas. $5,000.
“Autobiographical image of indulgence to the point of shame, disappointment and dissatisfaction.”
- Grace Bromley
Markella Lousidis (Athens, Greece), Blue Cross, 2021. Mixed media on canvas. $900.
“2021 Series. A forward-looking perspective into how I see as the near future. Divergence and the Blue Cross of things emerging.”
- Markella Lousidis
Brenda Jones (Peyton, CO), Expectation, 2021. Block prints, encaustic, sewn paper. $600.
“Reduction block prints on paper, encaustic wax, machine stitched. The work is about desire and expectation. This is cherry pie, generally considered sweet, but there is also the flirty 1950's waitress which suggests a double meaning.”
- Brenda Jones
Nicole Di Fabio (Washington, DC), Balance II, 2021. Acrylic on vellum. $700
“Balance depicts a variety of cravings and indulgences, including sex, nudity, rosé, and risk.”
- Nicole Di Fabio
Rosemary Meza-DesPlas (Farmington, NM), This is Not a Taco, 2018. Watercolor, thread accent on watercolor paper. $800.
“This is Not a Taco is a play off René Magritte's The Treachery of Images. As a Latina, I am making a reference to Taco Day and the Taco love which has swept the US over the last few years. Taco is also another word for vagina. This image is a vagina; however, it is painted to mimic colors and textures of a taco.
- Rosemary Meza-DesPlas
Beverly Logan (Washington DC), Hot Dog, 2020. Handmade three-dimensional collage made from inkjet prints. $450.
“A scrumptious hotdog floats across a tiled cloudy sky as a young, shirtless boy watches it...perhaps lustily.”
- Beverly Logan
Erik Kamenski (Arlington, VA), I Can’t Get Enough, 2021. Acrylic. $600.
“I can’t stop eating-- I just want to crawl into the bag and nibble all day!”
- Erik Kameski
About Target Gallery
Target Gallery is the contemporary exhibition space of Torpedo Factory Art Center, managed by the City of Alexandria's Office of the Arts, a division of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities.