Brand Library Art Center

Above, the art of Jane Szabo

The Brand Library and Art Center explores the – pun intended – naked truth of human existence in Naked Underneath, now through September 17th. And while this sounds like a weighty topic, the approach to this subject lightens the load of shared human struggle with identity.

Curator Shannon Currie Holmes presents the work of five artists in a variety of mediums. The theme of the show, that underneath whatever artifice we create we are all the same – naked below the surface – is as relevant as it is profound.

Jane Szabo presents two series, both conceptual self portraits: “Sense of Self,” is a sequential set of actions, exploring the need for a sense of control over self and environment. Her “Reconstructing Self,” depicts dresses made from personal or familiar objects that suggest a persona as a stand-in for the artist, inviting viewers to connect and create their own mythologies from hers.

“Though my recent work has been photographic, my original training was as a painter, and I branched into working on installations during graduate school. In addition, my professional background as a model maker and scenic painter for film and television has informed my interested in materials and the tactile aspects of being an art maker. My project, Reconstructing Self, which is featured in the exhibition Naked Underneath, was a way for me to combine my interest in fabricating objects with the photographic medium. Though the photographs of my handcrafted dresses were well received, some curators also expressed interest in displaying the actual objects. The idea of creating site-specific installations within this project intrigued me, so I decided to fabricate a new piece specifically for the exhibition at the Brand Library.”

Szabo’s piece has a special personal reference for her. “The focal point of this exhibit is an installation called La Boheme, which is an homage to my husband, who has the unique skill set of being a trained opera singer, as well as a surfer. ”

Szabo says because The Brand Library specializes in collections of art and music, and it was important to give a nod to the institution, as well as telling a personal story. 

“La Boheme features a papier-mache dress surfaced with pages from the opera score for La Boheme. The suspended dress floats above the ground, and branching out from the base, are “sound waves” made from more pages from the libretto. The beating heart of the metronome is just one of the added effects that accompany the installation,” Szabo relates.

Each of the five artists represented in the exhibition approach the theme of identity differently, and exquisitely.

Cathy Akers uses photography and porcelain, two separate mediums to convey the same message of the necessity and struggle for human connection. Her photographic collages are haunting and ghostly, exploring the presumption of family in 1960s era communal living.

Tim Doyle’s sculptures are abstract and sexualized, with round edges and phallic shapes taking on a sensation of softness, the illusion of a giant’s body parts. The shapes are compelling, and even mystical.

Colleen Kelly offers a pointed look at censorship and body shaming in her works, which use chine-colle, a printmaking technique that transfers images to a heavier supporting material. The result weighs clothed figures as the nude figures shift more freely.

Alison Kuo uses delicately realized water color images to show oblique and unidentifiable subjects in perfectly realistic yet dream-like terms.

And Carrie Yury presents riveting diptychs that vividly represent domestic environments which contain, sustain, and confine the human body.

So go ahead, get naked. At least metaphorically speaking. The exhibition runs through September 13th, and a closing is planned. The Brand is located in Glendale at 1601 W. Mountain Street.

• Genie Davis; Photos: courtesy of Jane Szabo, and The Brand Art Center.