October 22 -
28, 2003

(MELISSA FURNESS)
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Ever since Duchamp's urinal, artists have faced
the dilemma: If anything can be art, what constitutes work, skill, or
originality? Several of the entrants in CoCA's Northwest Annual have
found novel ways to search for answers. Brian Goeltzenleuchter, for
instance, makes cheap candle reproductions of Art 101 Masterpieces (in
this case, Rodin's "The Kiss") and then creates a painting of the
work, layering art upon kitsch. Seattle artist Paul Margolis creates a
quilted replica of a two-by-four in "Stud," while Junko Ijima's
"Object Study" meditates on diversity and uniformity by creating felt
and ceramic variations on Mickey Mouse ears. The most striking
experiment with kitsch, however is Peter Mundwiler's
borderline-compulsive quest to re-create cheap Christmas displays in
"Eighty Tiny Reindeer": He bought eight papier-mâché reindeer,
meticulously made exact replicas of each, and then returned his
versions to the store where he bought them. The "originals" are on
display, in a wry examination of mass-production and craft. Not all
the works in this exhibit juried by Esther Luitikhuizen (formerly
co-owner of Seattle's Esther Claypool Gallery and now with Pierce
County's Arts and Cultural Services) are about kitsch. Greg Lukens'
strange "The Challenge of Accepting Poetry" offers an indecipherable
allegory about sexuality and the American heartland while Melissa
Furness, an assistant prof at Eastern Washington U, creates
accomplished views of public baths in Hungary using digital photo
prints, resin and paint. Center on Contemporary Art, 1420 11th
Ave., 206-728-1980. 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sun.
Ends Nov. 19. ANDREW ENGELSON
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