No Fay Wray? How About Jessica Lange?

Angela Rose Wilson.

A native Quad Citonian. 

Bachelors from St. Ambrose and Masters from Northern Illinois University. 

Current Adjunct at St. Ambrose and Augustana College. 

Upcoming Exhibition "King Kong or Other Lovely and Terrible Things...Drawing Installation"

Do you know her? I'm going to say if you don't then you really should. She makes good work. Really good work. The type that makes you return to it. The type that makes you want to look at it longer and harder. The type that makes you want to rub your cheek up against to it and see if it purrs. 

She's a bit of a departure for the ol' Bakery Gallery, but we're not all about tradition over here. Sure we deal with printmaking and artist's books and text art, but we also want to see works on paper. Remember Liz Wolf? Remember Adam Little? Angela is probably known as a painter, but really...what's in a title? She uses multiple media, she draws with graphite and charcoal and gouache and other drawery type things, uses substrates that are available and she does a heck (hell?) of a good job doing it to. So why not?

Let's see some baby examples. 

Juni and Tim With Civil War Rifle

Maddy X Camo Ski Mask

Red Riding Hands

Angela's Artist Statement:

As child, King Kong haunted my early childhood. The 70’s version had just aired on television, and our father reinforced my terror by vividly teasing that King Kong was on his way to our house. My fear of this creature was mixed with the agonizing sympathy for his suffering, taunted by curious onlookers, and ultimately pursued, and driven to his death.

I am intrigued by this paradox of fear and sympathy…much like Stockholm syndrome where victims identify with their kidnappers. However, I am also aware of my own complicity, in the exploitation of those, who with cruel humor, and curiosity we view as subjects of documentaries. For example, in the figure of Timothy Treadwell, whose childhood love of a stuffed bear sent him to live with real bears in Alaska where he was ultimately mauled to death...the appropriate response is maddeningly unclear.  Is he tragic, ridiculous, lovely, terrible…is this story real? Like King Kong, he seems to long for an impossible escape from alienation, an impossible love affair. 

 These drawings are references to non-duality, lack of hierarchy, nonlinear time, placed upon fragile organic materials emphasizing impermanence of point-of-view…ambiguity.

Images of fearful predicaments, iconic characters, portraits of family members, and the supernatural, all conjured from stream of consciousness are suspended in time alternating between clarity, and obscurity. These are personal icons, interchangeable, made tangible through drawing, and installed as an unfolding kind of alter piece. The meaning of specific juxtapositions does not tell a traditional narrative, nor wishes to impose moral authority. Instead, as an artist I share an individual experiences of real and fictional people/memories which both inspire, and haunt my imagination.

Running Pink

Installation

Installation Detail

Do you want the deets? (I've heard that is a hip abbreviation.) Here they are, in our usual format

The Who: Angela Rose Wilson


The What: Exhibition and Opening of King Kong or Other Lovely and Terrible Things


The When: Exhibition Opening = Friday June 1st from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm
                   Regular Gallery Hours = Tuesday through Saturday 7:00 am until 9:00 pm from May 30th until July 28th. 


The Where: The Bakery Gallery. Conveniently located at 1330 E. 12 Street, Davenport, Ia 52803. You may also find it on the corner of 12th street and Esplanade Ave. 


The Why: Because we like works on paper, because we support emerging and mid-career artists, because we shop locally, because art is important, etc...


The Added Bonus: I'll introduce you to Henry. 


I hope to see you there.