Underground Up

Clarence Rich, Mr. Mustart, and Distort at Underground Up
credit: instagram -- @mr_mustart

The exhibition Underground Up includes three New Jersey artists; Mr. Mustart, DISTORT, and Clarence Rich.  Although all three of these artists are heavily involved in street art, each of them displayed a different kind of work in the exhibition, but all the common theme of taking classical art and contemporary twists to it. 

DISTORT brought scrolls, shields, and site specific art into the show.  These “shields” and the scroll are engraved and consist of enamel paint.  The Shields of Justice, are actually engraved on to a piece of a hood of a car.  In the piece Shields of Justice, DISTORT includes Judith Beheading Holofernes in the background of the enamel painting.  The enamel portion of the piece depicts a part of a city with a car on lit on fire.  At first glance, it was hard to notice Holofernes head in the piece because it is very near the car.  So the death of Holofernes is parallel to the burning car.  Holofernes is a general, someone of greater rank, in the social system. 

Shield of Justice, DISTORT from Underground Up exhibit

Clarence Rich provided canvas paintings to the exhibition.  Each of the pieces have person present.  The piece that stood out most to me was Night at the Museum¸ that has a man in front of two pieces of art and cats above the works, and there is a triangle present.  Cats or cat-like figures often appear in the works of Clarence Rich in this exhibit.  The paintings depicted in Nights at the Museum, resemble self-portrait paintings done during the renaissance, more than likely a queen and king. 

Mr. Mustart’s work in the exhibit stayed more towards the graffiti side of his skill.  For example, the Hummingbird Canvas, which was done in 2015, is displayed in the exhibit, and the first thing that catches my eye is the graffiti on towards the top of the piece, then my eyes move down to the many images below.  The very first stating “this time I wanted to know.”  Just like DISTORT and Clarence Rich, Mr. Mustart adds a bit of history into the piece, there are bits and pieces taken from older paintings, also Hamlet is present.  The hummingbird is placed towards the top where the graffiti is, whereas the bee on the other canvas is directed towards the bottom where the old clippings are.  Both bees and hummingbirds both pollinate, so the difference in placement of these animals can represent difference in preferences in two different people that both like the common subject, which in this case is art. 

Night in the Museum, Clarence Rich

Mr. Mustart’s work in the exhibit stayed more towards the graffiti side of his skill.  For example, the Hummingbird Canvas, which was done in 2015, is displayed in the exhibit, and the first thing that catches my eye is the graffiti on towards the top of the piece, then my eyes move down to the many images below.  The very first stating “this time I wanted to know.”  Just like DISTORT and Clarence Rich, Mr. Mustart adds a bit of history into the piece, there are bits and pieces taken from older paintings, also Hamlet is present.  The hummingbird is placed towards the top where the graffiti is, whereas the bee on the other canvas is directed towards the bottom where the old clippings are.  Both bees and hummingbirds both pollinate, so the difference in placement of these animals can represent difference in preferences in two different people that both like the common subject, which in this case is art. 

Hummingbird Canvas, Mr. Mustart

Each piece of work I have highlighted in this post has a significant contrast between “classical” and today’s art.  They have each taken well-known pieces of art, and made them into something modern, which sends the message that other kinds of art can be accepted, now that the overall culture has changed.  In his book Seeing Power:  Art and Activism in the 21^st Century, Nato Thompson states, “finding commonalities is absolutely crucial in order to attract curiosity” (pg. 143).  Adding the older pieces of work into their own can also bring new viewers to their work, someone who is fond of classical works sees work as those in Underground Up, and comes to appreciate modern art, whether it is graffiti or another type of art. 

These artists are crossing a line that can broaden ones preferences when it comes to art.  And the more people like the work of artists, the more their social and cultural capital can grow.  “As one acquires more and more social capital, one can often find easier access to even more infrastructures in that field” (p. 87).  As three artists from New Jersey, they have each respectively gotten their out to different states, but with greater social capital, it could be a possibility they can get their work out to broader horizons if they wish to do so.  “Social capital is a sort of nonprofessional resume that allows access to opportunity” (pg. 91).  Though there are artists that do not want to be a “sell out,” it is still beneficial for the artist to get his work out there.  But sometimes putting their work out there “selling out” it may cause the artist to lose his/her validity, certain jobs can alter one’ style, or others allow the artist to do what he/she does best.  DISTORT did an interview with a Jersey City local website, ChicpeaJC back in 2015.  In one of the questions, Lynn Hazan, who runs the website, asked DISTORT if he has done work with the city, in which his reply was “I can’t comment on that.”  DISTORT may not want to be labeled as a “sell out” so he does not make the work he has done with the city known knowledge. 

The messages of these pieces may or may not be the most clear to certain viewers.  “…one person’s idea of the didactic is another person’s state of confusion” (p. 38).  So it creates conversation within the gallery, and viewers are able to share their ideas with other viewers.  One can talk about the Shields of Justice and think the meaning is to get rid of something that is invading the people, which can hold true.  Holofernes was an invader, and cars, since being invented have taken over the way someone gets around the area.  From a capitalist stand point, destroying cars and no longer buying them will hurt the economy.  And global warming being a political issue, not using cars whenever possible, would benefit the environment.  Each person may not see the same issues at hand in the artwork.  Being able to share ideas with others can benefit the artists to bring in more diverse viewers, and the viewer being more educated on the topic at hand.  

References:

DISTORT Interview with Lynn Hazan

Seeing Power:  Art and Activism in the 21st Century by Nato Thompson